Hi. My name is Kyle. I'm a family man. And a PhD student. The combination therein doesn't make for a lot of free time! However, I am starting this blog for several reasons, most of which are purely for my own benefit. If any one is actually reading them, then, bonus!
First, as a grad student, writing and communication is paramount. Sure, a lot of people can run experiments, analyze stuff, invent cool things. But without a developed ability to communicate clearly and concisely, much of that great work can be easily lost. As a researcher, there are two things of high value -- proposals and publications. Proposals get you money (hopefully), which (hopefully) leads to interesting findings to publish. So, the written word is highly valued in this field.
Second, I'm beginning work on my dissertation and I thought I'd try to get some of my ideas fleshed out in blog-form first. This idea really came at the urging of a great blog post by Matt Might.
Third, my wife and other relatives/friends often wonder what I do exactly. I make attempts at explaining my research verbally, but often fail because I haven't really worked out a laymen's version just yet. So, you'll probably see some posts trying to get that point across.
Fourth, I thoroughly enjoy working in the field of photovoltaics. While some grad students move to other fields after getting their PhDs, I intend to stick with what I'm doing in some form of fashion. Luckily, I already have a job lined up that will allow me to do just that!
Of course, if you are a real person out there reading this now, and you actually get something out of my verbal chaos, then drop me an email.
First, as a grad student, writing and communication is paramount. Sure, a lot of people can run experiments, analyze stuff, invent cool things. But without a developed ability to communicate clearly and concisely, much of that great work can be easily lost. As a researcher, there are two things of high value -- proposals and publications. Proposals get you money (hopefully), which (hopefully) leads to interesting findings to publish. So, the written word is highly valued in this field.
Second, I'm beginning work on my dissertation and I thought I'd try to get some of my ideas fleshed out in blog-form first. This idea really came at the urging of a great blog post by Matt Might.
Third, my wife and other relatives/friends often wonder what I do exactly. I make attempts at explaining my research verbally, but often fail because I haven't really worked out a laymen's version just yet. So, you'll probably see some posts trying to get that point across.
Fourth, I thoroughly enjoy working in the field of photovoltaics. While some grad students move to other fields after getting their PhDs, I intend to stick with what I'm doing in some form of fashion. Luckily, I already have a job lined up that will allow me to do just that!
Of course, if you are a real person out there reading this now, and you actually get something out of my verbal chaos, then drop me an email.
