My first research presentation went off without a hitch, and the day ended up far more exciting than I ever could have predicted. Solely for matters of record, I submit to you the powerpoint file itself. As zipping it only reduced its size by a paltry 5%, I’ve left it as is.
( tentative-research-thesis-outline )
How much content you can derive without my riveting running commentary I do not know, but I’m sure some of you are curious. I should also note that when judged as a document outlining my focus of research and by extension my thesis, it is already sorely out of date. Treat it instead as an explanation of the themes I am chasing, the actual work waiting for me has since changed dramatically – see below!
The actual physical action of presenting my plebeian ideas was simple enough – I stood up in front of my five department professors and a handful of fellow ICP-EPA students and proceeded to wave my arms erratically, open and close my mouth quite frequently, doodle on the board, and hope that 25 minutes or so of this would be adequate to convey some sort of cohesive idea. As it happened, my professors’ critiques were equally elementary – for another 15 minutes they took turns alternately contradicting each other / informing me why my ideas were decisively flawed and doomed to failure. All in all I can indeed say it was a very productive session.
To remove my tongue from my cheek for a moment though, it was a watershed moment in my education, a turning point if you will. During the course of my presentation I outlined my personal abilities and interests, and painted a mural of potential ideas in the minds of my audience. Having concluded, I then took my seat as my wizened mentors set about attempting to focus my youthful passion into a meaningful and practical effort. Tentative progress was being made until Prof. Fukui, who you may recall is also dean of the graduate school, imposed his will upon the discussion. Without even opening his eyes as he reclined his aging bones back in his chair, he perfectly focused both my abilities and my interests with laser-like intensity into a research project that made my jaw drop, so clear and appealing did it seem.
As it stands, post-seminar Prof. Fellizar(my advisor) and I had a brief pow-wow on Fukui-sensei’s proposal, and have decided to pursue it with all resources at our mutual disposal. I am obviously taking great pains not to divulge the revelation at this time, but that is only because the true extent and more importantly, the timeline, of the project will most likely be settled within the next few weeks. Until then I’d rather not ruminate on the possibilities, only to potentially have to recant my statements later. What I will say though, is that I may find myself inquiring at the nearest American embassy for another visa in the very near future… and that I am extremely excited…
Today was a good day.