Posts
9/14/2014 08:03:00 PM
David Michels
It is finished. On August 18, 2014 I successfully defended my PhD dissertation before an examining committee of seven, and a great cheering squad in the gallery. It was a long defence taking nearly the full three hours, but in the end I passed without corrections.
The process for Interdisciplinary PhDs at Dalhousie University is to have an examining committee comprised of my supervisor, my three committee members, a representative from the ID PhD program, a chair appointed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and an External Examiner. My External was Dr. Gregory Grieve from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The candidate (me) gives a short presentation of less than 25 minutes. Then beginning with the External, the committee members each take turns asking questions. There can be a break mid way through (though not in mine) and then a second round of questions. This will continue for 1-2 hours and then the gallery and candidate leave the room while the committee deliberates. I then wait impatiently for the chair to invite hopefully Dr. David Michels back into the room.
So I am a doctor now. Convocation on October 7, 2014 is merely the formality, but my wife says I have to go. :-) I was privileged to have a great supervisor and committee. I learned a lot from each of you. I still feel like a poser calling myself "Doctor" but I'll get there.
For those interested, please find below a re-recording of my presentation. A little too formal and rushed for my liking but I was trying to cram 7 years of work into 25 minutes. Enjoy the pictures - I don't like lots of text in a powerpoint.
Next week I will share some of my experiences at the Information Seeking In Context Conference ISIC 2014 in Leeds, UK.
Good to be done (Take us out Cool and the Gang.)
The process for Interdisciplinary PhDs at Dalhousie University is to have an examining committee comprised of my supervisor, my three committee members, a representative from the ID PhD program, a chair appointed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and an External Examiner. My External was Dr. Gregory Grieve from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The candidate (me) gives a short presentation of less than 25 minutes. Then beginning with the External, the committee members each take turns asking questions. There can be a break mid way through (though not in mine) and then a second round of questions. This will continue for 1-2 hours and then the gallery and candidate leave the room while the committee deliberates. I then wait impatiently for the chair to invite hopefully Dr. David Michels back into the room.
So I am a doctor now. Convocation on October 7, 2014 is merely the formality, but my wife says I have to go. :-) I was privileged to have a great supervisor and committee. I learned a lot from each of you. I still feel like a poser calling myself "Doctor" but I'll get there.
For those interested, please find below a re-recording of my presentation. A little too formal and rushed for my liking but I was trying to cram 7 years of work into 25 minutes. Enjoy the pictures - I don't like lots of text in a powerpoint.
Next week I will share some of my experiences at the Information Seeking In Context Conference ISIC 2014 in Leeds, UK.
Good to be done (Take us out Cool and the Gang.)
