Footprints and Dissertations
On July 21, 1969 at 02:56:15 UTC, Neil Armstrong made perhaps the most famous footprint in all of history. Describing it as “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Armstrong identified an important duality dissertation students… Yesterday, I discussed the lunar landing and what you can learn about setting and achieving dissertation goals. […]
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Tranquility and Dissertations
On July 20, 1969 at 20:17:40 UTC, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong successfully set down their lunar module on the Sea of Tranquility. Immortalized with the famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base, here. The Eagle has landed.” This was the culmination of years of work involving multiple skill sets, all focused on a common goal. Sound familiar? […]
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Planets and Dissertations
On July 19, 1595, Johannes Kepler had a great epiphany about the motion of planets in our solar system. In turns out that he got it terribly wrong at first, but that didn’t matter — a fact that should cause dissertation students to rejoice… I’ve told you before that I’m a bit of a science […]
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Perfection and Dissertations
On July 18, 1976, Nadia Comăneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. Although a generation of young athletes would strive to be like Nadia, no dissertation student should… Let’s play a little game, shall we? Let’s see how much I know about you… You earned your […]
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Soaps and Dissertations
On July 17, 1986, the 13th Daytime Emmy Awards featured Susan Lucci losing, for the 7th time, including six in a row! But Susan Lucci wasn’t done, and therein lies a lesson for dissertation students… Susan Lucci portrayed Erica Kane in ABC’s All My Children for 41 years, from 1970 through the show’s cancellation in 2011. She […]
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Crashes and Dissertations
On July 16, 1994, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 began it’s week-long assault on the planet Jupiter. It didn’t work out well for the comet. And, it tends not to work out well for dissertation students when they do the same thing… I started graduate school in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago just a […]
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Giving and Dissertations
July 15th is National Give Something Away Day. You can celebrate by giving back, paying it forward, or sharing something. One of the top three complaints I hear from doctoral students is that they’re all alone, let’s talk about how giving can break this cycle… On a daily basis I hear doctoral students tell me […]
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Solo and Dissertations
July 13th is Han Solo’s birthday. (OK, technically it’s Harrison Ford’s birthday, but stay with me on this one.) Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on the life of Han Solo and the lessons it has for your dissertation… 1. Han Solo was proactive. Just after we first meet Han Solo, he is confronted […]
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Simplicity and Dissertations
July 12th is National Simplicity Day. Today is a day to think about the core you and your core life. What things are complicating your life and getting in the way of you being your authentic self? And, while we’re at it, what can you do to make your dissertation simpler? Oliver Wendell Holmes said, […]
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Loneliness and Dissertations
July 11th is National Cheer Up the Lonely Day, and dissertation students are some of the loneliest people out there… Yesterday I discussed some of the incredible passions that doctoral students hold dear to their hearts. They want to share, motivate, and inspire. They want to make an impact in the lives of those around […]
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