Nature Blog Network

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Check One PhD Milestone Off!

Just like Pono the happy face spider, I am as happy as a spider to pass my comprehensive exam and move on with my life. Of course, I was passed with conditions. I have to write 2 reviews in areas my committee felt I needed more background in before my defense: species concepts and how to the community ecology of my system relates to that of other well-studied systems. I agree with them and felt my performance was definitely sub-par, but it what it is and they feel if I correct a few of my deficiencies than I will have no problem finishing my degree. Looks like I'll be helping pay John Wilkins living expenses. All in all they were very supportive and asked good questions that got me thinking about my research in new ways. It was a terrifying, but good, experience.

5 comments:

  1. Congrats Kevin! Good to get that out of the way, it must have been nerve-wracking...

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  2. congrats...that is indeed a big step

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  3. congrats... a few rounds on me in north carolina!

    by the way, if you are looking for a species concept/macroevolutionary theory guy, let me know as i used to collaborate with kevin padian when i taught at uc berkeley... if you can swing a semester at cal, he offers a spring issues in macroevolutionary theory graduate seminar that focuses heavily on the nature of species, cladistics, and a deep review of seminal literature...

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  4. Congrats! Nicely done. The rum is on me when you're in Providence for the Benthic Ecology meeting.

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  5. Congradulations, Dr. Zelnio! it seems the 'price' you have to pay is not so bad, it can't do you any harm to accumelate more knowledge, no?

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