This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

We are in the process of planning for our summer sessions of the Dissertation House (DH).  DH sessions are being planned for the University of Maryland Baltimore (Medical School Campus) in June, UMBC in mid-summer (July 5-8, 2011), and UM College Park at the end of July. All of the dates and specific rooms on each campus will be announced soon. Please stay tuned.  In the meanwhile, please continue to participate in the Online Dissertation House: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2011-challenge/

Imagine the surprise on the looks of the faces of students participating in a Saturday Dissertation House session when the President of the University peeks in to say hello and wish everyone luck! The smiles permeated the room as UMBC’s President, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski made an impromptu visit to the Dissertation House this afternoon. Dr. Hrabowski greeted the group as “future Ph.D.s” and wished them well. ABOUT Dr. Hrabowski: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/president/index.php

The day began late due to ice-encased cars, slippery roads, and a delayed opening. However, the graduate students at UMBC are hard at work and they are putting in the time and effort needed to work on their dissertations.  This morning, students posted and shared their goals and objectives for the week and began to chip away at their respective projects. Dr. Wendy Carter, the Dissertation Coach for the campus, reviewed the goals with the students to make sure that they were measurable and reasonable for the 4-day period of the workshop.

After lunch, Dr. Robert Deluty (Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Presidential Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology, and published poet) gave a talk on working with committees and advisors that was filled with both wisdom and humor.  Dr. Deluty’s message of support for all of the graduate students at UMBC was that often, “nothing is utterly hopeless.” He provided some words and phrases that students can use when talking with their advisors and seeking advice from mentors. He also told students to be sure to seek multiple sources of encouragement and support because a solution can often be found with help of others, whether they be peers, faculty, or administrators.  The afternoon mini-lecture series ended with a great story by newly minted Ph.D., Dr. Adrienne Starks, an alum of the Dissertation House. Dr. Starks discussed her journey and some of the solutions that she used, including resources for an editor and a spa to de-stress!  She has shared them on the Dissertation House’s “Winter Challenge” section of the blog: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2011-challenge/

Read more about Dr. Deluty: http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/real-people-profiles-robert-h-deluty.html

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wpgAoprz8g

Join us online. You can participate in the Winter Online Challenge regardless of your department, school, state, or country!

Good luck to all who are working on their dissertations.

Today marks the second session of the “Dissertation House for Employees” at UMBC.  We had some extra slots on our roster this year, so graduate students from the three campuses who’d requested a spot in any available DH were invited to join the group.  Some of our employees at UMBC are in doctoral programs at College Park, so it helped to have some of the College Park DH students present to provide connections.  At present, the room is quiet, and students in doctoral programs at UMB, UMBC, and UM College Park are working on their dissertations.  Here are some photos from last week, including books on statistics and the new APA Style Manual which are available in the UMBC Bookstore in the Commons.  Comments from participants continue in this thread: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/todays-september-24th-dissertation-house/#comments.