Halifax Thread

[Zkribbler]

He already has one. Note, the 8 Tums for breakfast.

I need to start living a healthier lifestyle.

We FINALLY agree on something.

[KrazyHorse]

Should start a pool on how long it will be before KH develops a stomach ulcer.

Probably already have one.

[duke o' york]

Ok, I've got now then.


We need Dr Strangelove in this thread.

[Jon Miller]

One of my former roommates* days for a few months consisted of:
pork chops or burger or fries or caeser salad
~12 beers
lots of cigs
3+ coffees (he pretty much always had one until he got home, at which point he pretty much always had a beer)

He is a biophysics theorist.

JM

[SpencerH]

He is a biophysics theorist.

JM

That explains it then.

So do Physics PhD defenses ever get shot down anymore. I must say that I prefer the public (real) defenses that still occur in Sweden (at least). I've seen questions from the public that stumped the candidates.

[KrazyHorse]

We have a predefence oral that serves the purpose of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Since I've been at hopkins there's only been a single person who had to come back and do the defence again, although it happened to another person right before I got there (that person just recently ended up killing himself).

Most profs don't let their students defend unless they're happy with the work. They're the only people who can actually judge anyway. Physics is hard, and nobody understands what anybody else does.

[SpencerH]

There's something special though about the look on a candidates face when asked an ethical question by some long-haired hippy artsy-fartsy type sitting in the back of the room (after facing rigorous questions from the opponent and committee). At the University of British Columbia (where I did my undergrad) there was a requirement for a non-scientist on the PhD committees which fulfillled the same function I suppose i.e stupid question out of 'left field'.

[Jon Miller]

We have to have a Dean's candidate, from outside of the department. But I picked someone from the Institute of Physical Science and Technology who is a physicist.

The worse I have heard from a bad defense is to come back in ~6 months and redo it.

I did terrible on my oral for the qualifier and am prone to not being able to answer obvious questions when put on the spot, so I am a bit nervous.

JM
*If I Am nervous I just can't think.

[bc1871]

[Wezil]

Bc1871 and Ben Kenobi - Separated at birth.