Mag 101 -- dissertation defense

Kimie's research had ended and the writing was done.
Her advisor had approved all her years' worth of work -
(That doctoral thesis had been a son-of-a-gun)
Now in front of a committee she had to defend it.

If all the world is a stage then this would be a cirque.
Kimie did "mock orals" with friends to fine-tune her "skit" -
(What are your defense materials? garnered her smirk)
Her presentation was planned for great drama and fun.

Messing up this "show" part would write her career obit.
Screw being a professor - she could wind up a clerk -
(She heard the words* of her advisor, Dr. Dar Schmidt)
Kimie knew what she must do to hit a raw home run.

She shed her clothes with her mind on the PhD perk -
Walked into the room in control of wisdom and wit -
(They could see Kim was serious - she was not berserk)
And attached herself to her props: woman sushi bun.


                                                               MLydiaM ~ January 2012  

* It is quite alright to bring important visual aids or extracts from your thesis (charts, drawings, quotations, tables, etc.) to help you elaborate on your responses to questions. It is not necessary to carry a heavy baggage inside the examination room, but it is certainly assuring to have with you "everything" that you might think will be helpful. Remember, as always, "pictures speak louder than words," and, when short of articulation, one visual aid may be ready for the rescue. Really, you may not have to say, "As you know" if I have only brought with me that particular diagram, you might know exactly what I mean." Do not underestimate the value of simple tools like colored pens. You might actually be asked to demonstrate certain details on a blank transparency, to support your arguments. Likewise, you may not have to say, "Is there a pen somewhere? I wish I can write it all out for you." Certainly, a lack of simple tools during your defense can be misinterpreted as some lack of seriousness or mastery on your part. [actual source: custompapers.com]

Childhood Personality Traits Predict Adult Behavior 
August 5, 2010   

We remain recognizably the same person, UC Riverside and Oregon researchers find

Personality traits observed in childhood are a strong predictor of adult behavior, a study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the Oregon Research Institute and University of Oregon suggests.

The study will appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, a quarterly publication of the Association for Research in Personality, the European Association of Social Psychology, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and co-sponsored by the Asian Association of Social Psychology and the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists.

Using data from a 1960s study of approximately 2,400 ethnically diverse elementary schoolchildren in Hawaii, researchers compared teacher personality ratings of the students with videotaped interviews of 144 of those individuals 40 years later.

What they discovered was surprising, said Christopher S. Nave, a doctoral candidate at UC Riverside and lead author of the paper, “On the Contextual Independence of Personality: Teachers’ Assessments Predict Directly Observed Behavior After Four Decades.” Co-authors of the paper are Ryne A. Sherman, a UCR doctoral candidate; David C. Funder, UCR professor of psychology; Sarah E. Hampson, a researcher at the Oregon Research Institute; and Lewis R. Goldberg, professor of psychology emeritus at the University of Oregon. The research was sponsored by the National Institute on Aging through a grant to the Oregon Research Institute.

“We remain recognizably the same person,” Nave said. “This speaks to the importance of understanding personality because it does follow us wherever we go across time and contexts.” . . . [Source: redorbit.com]

Visit The Mag to read other Mag 101s inspired by the photo prompt above 

(right image: From Boris Hoppek's Tokyo exhibit "Ever").

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