Friday 14Jun19 - Settling In
I got into work early today. My partner called me just outside the building to complain about a final report on a project she is working on. Turning in the report assures her funding for the next quarter. She had confused the dates, and now she'll have to stay up late to write it to turn in tomorrow. Life emergencies.
My research team met yesterday, and planned meetings for the next two weeks, as well as some special events. Next Thursday we'll meet for a "Python Hack Day" in which we'll try to solve some challenging coding problems as a learning exercise; the next week, our REU scholars will present the progress we've made on our research in three to five-minute presentations. The graduate students on our team may also present on academic papers, and we discussed a seminar on the skills needed to read and interpret academic writing. On August second, one member of our team will be defending his PhD (which we will attend together as a team), and another member will be getting married in the RoK. I spent the first part of my day adding all that to my calendar. It's going to be a jam-packed 10 weeks!
My plan for this morning was fairly simple: finish the Python exercises for our workshops here, and spend the rest of the day working more online exercises for Python through a website; with extra time, read Rebecca's paper (not a requirement); and turn in my travel voucher for reimbursement. While checking my email, however, I discovered some compliance training that the department wants me to complete. This may ruin my day. For every compliance item I need to complete, there are more items nested within them that take me to various university websites. Computer-based training, accounts for applications, and on, and on. Bureaucracy that distracts my focus from my true purpose here: research.
If this compliance training takes me all morning, I won't be pleased. I will not, however, spend any more time on it than that today. At lunch I meet Rebecca for our informal interview, after the work day is over there is an America Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting I want to attend, and in the evening our group (NSF & TAURUS Program scholars) are going out to see a movie together. That's my day and I plan to enjoy it.
My research team met yesterday, and planned meetings for the next two weeks, as well as some special events. Next Thursday we'll meet for a "Python Hack Day" in which we'll try to solve some challenging coding problems as a learning exercise; the next week, our REU scholars will present the progress we've made on our research in three to five-minute presentations. The graduate students on our team may also present on academic papers, and we discussed a seminar on the skills needed to read and interpret academic writing. On August second, one member of our team will be defending his PhD (which we will attend together as a team), and another member will be getting married in the RoK. I spent the first part of my day adding all that to my calendar. It's going to be a jam-packed 10 weeks!
My plan for this morning was fairly simple: finish the Python exercises for our workshops here, and spend the rest of the day working more online exercises for Python through a website; with extra time, read Rebecca's paper (not a requirement); and turn in my travel voucher for reimbursement. While checking my email, however, I discovered some compliance training that the department wants me to complete. This may ruin my day. For every compliance item I need to complete, there are more items nested within them that take me to various university websites. Computer-based training, accounts for applications, and on, and on. Bureaucracy that distracts my focus from my true purpose here: research.
If this compliance training takes me all morning, I won't be pleased. I will not, however, spend any more time on it than that today. At lunch I meet Rebecca for our informal interview, after the work day is over there is an America Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting I want to attend, and in the evening our group (NSF & TAURUS Program scholars) are going out to see a movie together. That's my day and I plan to enjoy it.
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