Why can't they just move over!

Who do you think I am referring to? You may have guessed because you may have the same question yourself. Joggers and bikers seem to think they own the world. Don't get me wrong, I think that both activities are great. Running is one of my favorite past times. But I for some crazy reason, I think that running/jogging is preferable to being hit by a car. And now I return to the question, why can't they move over....out of traffic! It's all about safety folks.

I hope I didn't offend anybody with the last paragraph, I had to get that off of my chest. What else is going on? I am starting to prepare for my advancement talk. The mathematics graduate program at UCSD has three main hurdles. Your first few years are taken up with what are called qualifying classes. These are a sequence of three classes you must take (you can choose from about five possible types of courses), which culminate in qualifying exams. This is hurdle number one, and perhaps the most stressful. If you pass these exams with high enough marks, you hopefully have an idea of what type of mathematics you would like to research. Believe it or not, the possibilities are nearly endless. So you start to "shop around", doing some reading with different professors. Finally, you select an advisor. After some time, you have probably done some good stuff. At this point, you need to get a committee of five faculty together and tell them how you are spending your time. This is called advancement, and is hurdle number 2. If you have been keeping up with your work, this is no big thing. Up to this point, you may have started your dissertation. After a bit more time, you complete your dissertation and give your final defense to your committee. This final step is hurdle number three...it should be a formality. Hopefully at this point, you also have a job lined up.

Wow! That was a lot longer than I intended it to be. If you got lost in the clutter that was my last paragraph, let be reiterate that I am about to advance. At the moment I am preparing my presentation on Electrical Impedance Tomography. The presentation is being prepared with a type setting language called Latex. Latex has a presentation class called beamer....imagine powerpoint, only harder to use. Instead of drag and click, I need to type computer code. Despite the pain, the program gives you a lot of freedom.

My committee talk will probably take place in late November. Maybe I will be lucky enough to have it on my birthday. Nothing like public speaking on a day of celebration. There is an open invitation to anybody who would like to attend! Erica and Ronia have already RSVP'd :)