This month’s blog will steer away from personal development and toward academic and social engagement.
SONG INSPIRATION
This is America by Childish Gambino–an audio, visual, and culturally relevant masterpiece.
WRITING UPDATE
Just a quick update. That Girl Debbie wasn’t accepted for the contest/journal I submitted it to, but that’s totally fine. I’m not even a little sad or upset. There will always be more failures than successes in life. It only makes the victories sweeter. I’ve already started shopping around for other contests, journals, etc. for submission. My novel has surpassed 200 pages and is on pace to achieve my New Year’s Resolution of at least 300 pages. In the realm of short stories, I have one out for revision, one that I’m editing, and one that I’m writing. This must be the year of the short story. I will submit all of my future writings to writing contests, journals, etc. No more sitting on my thumbs and wasting time.
Advice: To quote Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith as Captain Taggart from Galaxy Quest, “Never give up, never surrender.” Failure and rejection are part of life. The sooner you make peace with that, the better. It will free you of the chains of self-doubt and hesitation. Only then will you feel brave enough to dive into your goals and perhaps do something you’ve been avoiding.
ENGAGING THE PUBLIC ON SCIENCE
I’m profoundly passionate about this issue. Right now in America we’re at a nexus of misinformation, distrust, and lack of quality education. This is a recipe for conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and societal ruin. Yes, that’s pretty dire. But there’s an opportunity in this moment to consider our priorities on science and education. I’ll be tackling this issue from the perspective of what can we do as scientists (or science enthusiasts) to address this problem. For starters, if you’re a graduate student in STEM, you should take some sort of science communication course (if possible). If that’s not possible, you should participate in some sort of experience that forces you to communicate with laypersons. And I’m not just talking about once a semester public outreach events. Because trust me, people don’t know or understand the jargon of your discipline. Although a science communication course has been offered repeatedly in my department, I’ve never had the opportunity to participate due to scheduling. However, when I was an undergraduate, I participated in an undergraduate research experience (REU) in which we were tasked with communicating the science and effects of an invasive species with the public and policy makers. For eight weeks we were forced not only to present to our peers 2–3 times per week, but to members of the community and government officials on several occasions. This was a valuable learning experience.
Advice: I’m sorry, but if you’re constantly bashing the ignorance or stupidity of people who don’t understand your work and you aren’t doing your part, then you’re part of the problem. Sure, there are people who won’t understand (or trust) STEM no matter what. But we have an obligation to enlighten. The whole point of STEM is innovation and discovery. We’re pushing the bounds of knowledge forward, expanding humanity’s understanding of the universe. That’s our job. And we owe it to the public to engage them in this process, because they are humanity.
GRAD SCHOOL – THE LAST YEARS
The last years of graduate school are a transition that functions as an intersection for uncertainty and relief. One criticism–of many–I have of the STEM/academic pipeline is that it can be very nebulous. In many cases, there’s no right or wrong path–no defined course on exactly what and how you’re supposed to do something. We may know the math behind our models or how to set up an experiment. But how do we navigate this environment? How do we wrap-up graduate school? To be fair, I’ve read and heard a lot about ‘starting/surviving/navigating graduate school’, but I haven’t read a lot about ‘finishing graduate school’ or ‘transitioning out of graduate school’. Granted thanks to friends who’ve successfully transitioned out of graduate school to post-docs or other ventures, I have vague ideas on how to proceed.
I’m in the home stretch. If all goes reasonably according to plan, I’ll finish graduate school between Fall 2019 – Spring 2020. Thus, in less than 2 years, I won’t be a graduate student anymore. And I have to say it’s a weird time mentally and emotionally. On the one hand, my confidence, productivity, and mental stability are at an all-time high. I feel like I’ve overcome a slew of obstacles and I’m a stronger, savvier scientist (and person) because of it. On the other hand, I feel like I’m in a limbo–at a crossroads of what I want to do, where I want to live, who I want in my life, and how I want to make it happen. I’ve been adequately prepared for the options post-graduate school. Let the job hunt begin. But I wasn’t prepared for the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions equal parts angst and blasé.
Advice: Keep reading this blog and share it. Haha! But seriously, become more sure of yourself. That’s easier typed than done. But being certain in your decisions, thoughts, and actions is really the only way to keep yourself at peace through this process. Talking to others or reading this blog helps. It gives you perspective. But the process is so specific to the individual, that it’s ultimately up to the individual (you) to figure it out. That said, to quote a scientist and professor I have enormous respect for, “Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.”
CURRENT SHOWS
Recently finished: Arrested Development (s4 & 5); Detective Conan (s27); Lost in Space; Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories; The Rain; Westworld (s2)
Currently watching: Good Morning Call (s1); Love & Hip Hop Atlanta (s7); Luke Cage (s1); Marcella (s2)
Thank you so much for reading! My next blog is scheduled for Thursday, August 2nd. I can’t rule out a short story post in the interim. Please follow my website and feel free to share with friends. If you have any comments, etc., feel free to leave them below. Until next time….
The Planetary Novelist 