Nerd Romance....

March 12, 2013 marked an important milestone for both Tim and I as PhD students. Up until now we've been working towards our respective PhD programs as 'PhD candidates'. The first year of study is a provisional period culminating in a written research proposal and formal presentation; candidates are required to present any data that has been collected as well as a plan for the remaining two years of his/her PhD. This process is reviewed by a committee and then the student, if his or her work is satisfactory, is passed on to 'full PhD status'.

So on March 12 at 9am I stood up in front of my committee, supervisors and peers to present the basis for my research project, preliminary data and my plans for the remaining two years of my PhD. I'd love to say that the presentation is the worst of it but that would be inaccurate. The really challenging part came immediately after when the audience had the opportunity to ask any and every question that came to mind while I was presenting. Some of the questions where simple whereas others were simply 'unanswerable' because they were questions that do not have answers. Yeah. I've given presentations like this in the past and I always spend a lot of time preparing and thinking about questions that people might ask. Overall, I would say that these experiences are not scary but simply uncomfortable. In the end I was pleased that I was able to answer most of the questions and provide good attempts for the impossible ones.

After the interrogation everyone except the committee was required to leave the room so they could discuss and decide if they were going to pass me. At that point I was feeling quite happy but totally exhausted from the excitement and brain work that I had just done. Later that morning I was asked into the office of the Postgrad Coordinator to discuss the result of the committee. I was complimented on my presentation and told that I would be passed on to 'full PhD status'!! And while I wasn't worried about failing it's always nice to know that you have succeeded. :)

Just an hour later, reviling in being done with my presentation, I sat down to watch Tim give his talk. He is genuinely excited about the work he is doing and that is very apparent when he presents. The talk was very interesting complete with flash graphics and movies as well as 'props' (portions of the imaging system) that he designed himself. The questions that came after gave him no trouble and led to good discussion amongst the group. And while he didn't get the 'official' news right away (it came two days later) there was no question that he would pass.

So here we are about year after beginning our programs now officially PhD students. Graduation is just two short years away and Tim has proposed that we race to the end. I know I'm up for the challenge!! :)

If you're wondering about the title of this post there is an explanation. When friends and colleagues learned that we were giving our 'first year talks' on the same day they said, "That's romantic.... in a nerdy way". :) As I always say, "We are nerds together".