Three (On Fabric Posters)

Academic posters are rad. I recently asked a few colleagues and am happy to report that they, too, think posters are rad. They explained their affection for large, paper posters (and their carrying cases), particularly within the confines of tight conference itineraries and crowded airports. Also, posters turn out to be extremely useful even after their presentation. Lab corners would be empty without them.We all need more paper in our lives.

This is why academic posters, printed on fabric, have ruined my life.  Last fall, I printed two posters for a conference on fabric instead of paper. What a waste.  They were inexpensive, easy to transport, and didn’t get wrinkly when I crumpled them into my carryon. The fonts, colors, figures, and tables turned out beautifully.  Just a complete waste.

If you are interested in making your next conference more difficult, I would highly recommend creating a fabric poster.   Just so you know, you’ll likely get more traffic near your poster display, more people asking questions, more opportunities to talk about your research, and more feedback about your ideas.  Don’t do it.

 

Two (On Scholars and Wizards)

There are two things I wish I would have known when I started my PhD program.  There are probably more than two, but for now, I am going to explore just two.  Both concepts are well captured by Schwartz (2008) in which he explains how PhD programs “disserve” their PhD students. He suggests two ideas: that students are not explicitly taught how difficult it is to conduct research and that students are not taught how to engage in “productive stupidity,” to reach the limits of their knowledge (via the work of others) and push forward.

No one told me that doing research was hard.  I have always thought that scholars were wizards.  This was supported by the evidence that professors always seemed to know the answers, so of course this translated into knowing the answers in their labs.  I am learning that true scholarship requires years of practice.   This is work that requires infinite decisions about how and why, particularly during the design phase of an experiment.  I wish someone would have told me that the practice of research is difficult, there are few answers and many questions.  There are many experiences of getting it wrong.   I have found this to be challenging. It has caused me to question my decision to pursue a PhD.  It has definitely caused me to be uncomfortable.

Schwartz (2008) asserts PhD students would be well served by learning to be comfortable when they get it wrong (or don’t know where to start).  I don’t know if I will ever feel any shade of comfortable when I get something wrong.   However, if I can remind myself that getting it wrong is part of discovering how to get it right (and that it comes with the territory), I think I’ll be closer to feeling content as a scholar.

Schwartz, M. A. (2008).  The importance of stupidity in scientific research.  Journal of Cell Science, 121, 1771.