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A GOOD PhD Student!Opportunities and Traps

An alternate perspective by

Suddhasheel Ghosh

Delivered on the occassion of the Department Day, Department of Civil Engg.

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Am I the good student?

In case you are giving me scornful looks ...

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That who knows his weaknesses is the wise guy, he who thinks he is the smart aleck everytime is otherwise!

Am I the good student?

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Broad contents

● Ideal expectations

● Adventures or otherwise

● The supervisor

● Precautions

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Prof. S. K. Jain: On achieving goals

A

B

“It is easier to draw a straight line from A to B, if your eyes are always on the target”

In an Engineering PhD, this line denotes the methodology of research

Prof. S. K. Jain is currently on deputation as the director of IIT – Gandhinagar.

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The problem and its statement

Your skill sets: Mathematical ability, Problem solving, Leadership capability, Programming; Available resources

Popularity of the domain and the open problems

TRADEOFF

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Deliberate, Collaborate, Elaborate

...in the stage of advanced research

CE

ME

EE BSBECSE

HSS

... and others

SCIENCES

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My dreams on the day of joining ...

● Maximum 3.5 yrs● 4-5 journal / conference papers per year● A very brief thesis ● Join some big organisation● … and of course other mundane matters of life

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Situation today ??

● Conference papers -● Yes, National and International

● The other parameters remain unsatisfied ...

Why?

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Focus (or the lack of it)

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The lure of mundane life and other

(mis)adventures

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Either before or after, never in between!

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Beware of

CHOMUs जब चोमू का हो सामना, तब तू ही हमे‌ थामना,

वो बजरापा कर,े हम मदद कर,े ना ही Intelligence की हो कामना

Mandatory prayer for every student entering into a PhD programme

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The Chomu (चोमू) Effect ...

● Urban Dictionary: Chomu (n.)● One who cannot make his own decisions;● More often than not, is making fun of others;● ... and has stupid whims of his own.

● The Principal Goal(s) of a Chomu● Waste your time● Get his work done by you while he takes the credit for it

● Principal Symptom● Enormous urge to seek instant gratification● Enormous urge to show off his whims

● Vivid examples

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Working with Java and C++

Working with MATLAB + MATLAB doc open

Suddhasheel! MATLAB mein optimization ho jata hai kya?

Yeah! Maybe you can check these commands. Wait, let me show you...

Wow! I can get my

thesis done by

him!!

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Fast food may be good to eat, but it

is junk!

Save yourself, stop instantly gratifying your colleagues!

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Intellectual gains or botheration …?

Save your energy for research, rather than spoon feeding others

Control!

Don't spoon feed!

Chuck spoon feeding seekers out of the group!

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Learning, not to spoonfeed, the hard way

● Helping● Merci Monseiur/Mlle, c'etait très gentille!● Acknowledgements in their theses.

● But, does going out of the way for others give you your degree?

● Cost?● Time● The 'friend' can get his/her thesis done by you.

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Learning, not to spoonfeed, the hard way

● Helping● Merci Monseiur/Mlle, c'etait très gentille!● Acknowledgements in their theses

● But, does going out of the way for others give you your degree?

● Cost?● Time● The 'friend' can get his/her thesis done by you.

● Divine Enlightenment? Wastage of time? Say:-

I DO NOT KNOW!

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Suddhasheel! How to reverse order a matrix without using

FOR in MATLAB?

I don't know!

Working with Java and C++

Working with MATLAB + MATLAB doc open

Now he would at

least Google

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The laboratory environment

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Oh! The divine pleasure of anonymously browsing the profiles of Beautiful babes and Handsome

Hunks!

...and reading non-sensical updates like « Mujhe FTV se apna birthday yaad aaya hai! »

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Use, overuse, misuse … decide

Your lab mates and co-researchers require / need / deserve an equal share of facilities

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The lab isn't a bathroom or a toilet! Leave these things at the hostel!

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Silence!!! This is a lab ...

… and not a discotheque!

Mobile Phone rings Effect after mobile phone rings

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Paper lying with Supervisor for > 5

months

My supervisor gave me TA and my CPI went less than 8

The Supervisor and YOUA relation you could cherish for life … or weep upon

My supervisor is an IDIOT!

Gives NO attention to me!

He knows NOTHING!

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After all he is a human being ...

● Your priorities● Your thesis ● Calling up your family

once in a while … ● Your girlfriend /

boyfriend / spouse

● Supervisor's priorities● Your research ● Your co-researcher(s)

research(es)● His project(s) ● His career + papers ● Institute committees ● His family esp. children

Being more considerate earns you the respect!

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Other places vs. IITs

● Students run errands ● Bringing milk,

groceries, taking the child to the school

● Supervisor runs errands● Writing the student's

thesis ● Getting it through the

doctoral exam panel

● Full independence of life and studies

● 24 hr access to internet● TA duty – 8 hrs / week● Supervisor acts as

mentor to keep the student from digressing from his track

● Full independence of life and studies

● 24 hr access to internet● TA duty – 8 hrs / week● Supervisor acts as

mentor to keep the student from digressing from his track

Other Places in India

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In the lands abroad … and here

● Meeting frequency: ● 1-2 times a month

● Professional relationship ● Need for taking

appointments

● We can almost walk in anytime ● Not irritated!

● Personal problems

There's happiness in appreciating good things in life. Welcome to the power of +ve thinkingThere's happiness in appreciating good things in life. Welcome to the power of +ve thinking

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Statutory Warnings

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Bootlicking: The BOOBY trap

● ”YES SIR/MAM!”, to whatever the supervisor says!● Never mind wrong or right

● The TRAP● Supervisor may start thinking he/she is always right (about

you and your approach)● Egos may clash when you oppose

● Handling● Tactfully handle / avoid bootlicking (answering how, would

end up in me writing a state-of-art research paper) ● Reject/circumvent any such advances/lures/invitations

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Its a PhD program and not a honeymoon

● The ”Honeymoon” attitude (of the student) ● Casual approach to the PhD program

– I was a good student earlier, so I would do well in the PhD program.

– Don't worry, even if I do not work, I would end up doing well!

– ”Are ho jaayega yaar!”

● Sight seeing (read – aimless web browsing)● Love making (read – pointless personal conversations)● ”Arey! This is so simple yaar” : Hand waving

● Aftermath of the ”Honeymoon”● Kaam ki fikar kar, kaam ka zikar kar, zikar ka fikar kar, fikar ka

zikar kar, par kaam mat kar!

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Relations with people

● The Head of the Department: Handle with care ● Potential misusers of facilities of Labs and the

institute: Avoid● Chomus: Strongly avoid● CPI >= 9.0 Beware of their musings● Supervisor: Definitely handle with care● Girlfriend/Boyfriend or spouse and family: You do

not need my opinion

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Attention ...

● Cordiality

● No spoonfeeding● Discuss – ideas may arrive from anywhere● Its your baby, not your supervisor's or anybody else's

● Work!

● We are all just prisoners here, of our own USB device (with due apologies to the Eagles' Hotel California)● Backups!

● Peer fights to supervisor and peer politics ● No! No!

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Where we started ...

A

B

Eyes on the goal!

Focus! Like the horse in the race!Focus! Like the horse in the race!

Principles, Dignity,

Integrity

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Our goal isn't this ...

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But these ...

Second Narmada Bridge, Gujarat

Mumbai urban viaduct Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai

Konkan Railways Clover Leaves near ITO, Delhi

And of course the Delhi Metro …!

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© Suddhasheel Ghosh, 2010Researcher, Geoinformatics

Department of Civil EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Kanpur UP

e-contact: suddhasheel [AT] gmail dot com

Website: http://www.suddhasheel.com

http://indiapolitique.wordpress.com