Editing marks

Today I'm reading an M.S. thesis and two thesis proposals and noticing some problems in common. Some problems relate to formatting and style, some problems result (despite my pleas) from not having run a spell and grammar check, but mostly because it takes time to learn how to write scientifically. I think many problems would be caught by simply flipping through the paper to see how it looks before submitting (why are all my figures blue?). The formatting issues can be dealt with by following instructions for publication in a professional journal (where you will see a reminder to spell check...is anyone getting this thing about spell-checking?) or looking at a copy of a published paper. I believe the goal for every M.S. thesis should be to get it published in a peer-reviewed journal, so you should write as if you're getting your thesis ready to publish. Every journal has its own quirks in formatting (usually with regard to the references), but the main text should follow the same general rules. I edit accordingly. Hence, this post with notes about editing marks and some examples.

Editing and professional proofreading marks are similar with the main difference that editing marks are done in the line of text and professional proofreaders write the corrections in the margin. Editing marks are fairly intuitive; I had to learn what the professional proofreader's marks meant when I submitted my first manuscript for publication to Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta in 1998.

How to prepare for field work and what to pack

We brainstormed today on how to plan/prepare and pack for field work using a difficult field area as an example – the Indian Himalaya. Keep in mind you should travel as lightly as possible and this must all fit into a backpacking pack and one Action Packer (filled with the consumables). The results of the brainstorming session form a check list for the field party:

Before you go (well in advance):
Plan the route: Where is the relevant geology? Do you need permission to access certain areas? Is it safe to travel in those regions? Are there access roads or will it require backpacking, horses, or rafting?
Check road conditions, weather conditions
Check for clothes appropriate for weather/local customs (it can be in the 80s during the day and in the 30s at night; Women: maybe no shorts or tank tops)
Compile maps: topographic, geological and road maps
Choose scientific papers to reference in the field
Assemble aerial photographs and/or satellite images (if available or from Google Earth)
Buy emergency medical/evacuation insurance
Current passport and Indian visa
Update vaccinations (you may not be vaccinated completely for Hepatitis and be sure your Tetanus is up-to-date)
Compile contact info, flight info, relevant phone numbers (for airlines, hotels, etc.)
Check travel advisories with the U.S. Department of State
Arrange a GSM cell phone (with international use activated or unlocked for an Indian SIM card)
Call credit card companies to notify that you’ll be traveling and to accept those charges
Register your travel plan with U.S. embassy in New Delhi
Order/purchase equipment or supplies (see below)

What else to pack:

Geology-related gear:
Brunton
“Rite in the Rain” field book (with any necessary IUGS diagrams, etc. you might want in the field taped inside)
Field pouch (to carry field book, Sharpies, chisels…)
Pens and pencils, colored pencils
Sharpies (several)
Sample bags – cloth or Ziploc freezer bags (quartz and gallon size)
Ruler/scale?
Field belt (for carrying hammer, field pouch, etc.)
Spare heavy duty duffle bag(s) for additional rocks
Hand lens on cord
4-lb. sledgehammer “crack hammer” with a long handle (pack this in checked baggage to be easily accessed by TSA agents)
Chisels (at least 2)
Backpack (day pack and backpacking pack if trekking overnight)
Binoculars/monocular?
Clipboard

Things that need batteries or charging:
Camera, 1+ Gb memory card(s), and batteries
GPS and batteries
Laptop computer?
AC power inverter for cigarette lighter charging
Chargers (if necessary for camera, phone, GPS, computer, etc.)
All necessary cables (data [USB] and power cables for camera, phone, GPS, computer…)
Satellite phone (unnecessary unless in very remote regions of Tibet)
Ethernet cable
Headlamp and batteries
Extra batteries
Instruction manuals for unfamiliar electronics
Electric plug adapter appropriate for the country
Alarm clock or watch with an alarm

Other stuff:
Laundry cord or rope
Action Packer(s) for rock transport, and name/address labels (bring copies) for inside and out
Tent
TSA locks for checked baggage
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad/Thermarest
Sleep sheet (for funky Indian “hotels”)
Cash, credit card(s), ATM card
Several extra copies (~10) of both your passport photo/info page and Indian visa (must be surrendered for travel permits)
Secure (zip-up) wallet for travel documents and cash, etc.
Sunglasses and lanyard
Sunblock (very important)
Duct tape (at least one big roll)
Hat
Hiking boots
Tevas or Chacos (to air out the feet, river crossings, showering)
Zip-off pants
Quick-dry, lightweight clothes
Spare Ziploc bags
Swiss Army knife (in checked luggage)
Bathing suit
Hiking socks
Rainjacket
Towel
Toilet paper (no joke, bring a roll)
Bandana (for exhaust/dust)
Good, long paperback book(s) that you can leave behind
Lonely Planet guide (or similar)
Phrasebook or translation dictionary (Hindi and Ladakhi?)

Cooking/eating/drinking:
Cup/mug
Nalgene(s)
Clif or Power bars and/or dried fruit
Lemonade mix so water doesn’t get boring (encourages you to drink) like Crystal Light “On the Go” packets
Stove that uses available fuel like the Primus Gravity MF II
Fuel cannister and coffee filters for dirty fuel
Pot for cooking
Bowl/plate
Tupperware container for carrying lunch?
Utensils
Matches
Plastic bottle of something alcoholic (for cleaning wounds, of course)

Medications and health-related items:
Iodine and dropper or water filter (filters may clog with rock powder in glacial run-off)
Toiletries
Anti-inflammatories like Advil or Aleve
Painkillers like Tylenol
Antibiotics (Cipro)
Laxative (for after days of dal, dal, and more dal)
Any regular medications
Altitude sickness pills like Diamox/Acetazolamide
Anti-malarial medication
First aid kit (bandaids, alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, moleskin…)

Once there:
Apply for travel permits to access restricted areas
Buy a SIM card for GSM phone, phone card with minutes
Buy propane (or other available gas for stove)
Buy food and case of bottled water
Arrange car and driver

Then go do it!
Collect lots of structural data, take lots of notes, take more photos than you think are necessary, go ahead and collect that sample you're not sure you'll need, orient every sample that you can, label every. single. piece. of. rock. with a sample number (and the sample bag!), mark GPS waypoints frequently, and have fun.

It's been a while since I've added anything to the blog and until I meet a couple of pressing deadlines this week, you'll have to wait a bit longer. For now, a topic that has come up in previous posts dealt with how to address faculty; I found this comic on a web site that deals with issues related to being a graduate student - Piled Higher and Deeper. Enjoy!

Research grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships

I've compiled a list of research grants, fellowships, and scholarships for both graduate students and undergraduates in the Department of Earth & Climate Sciences at SF State (with a focus on students in my research group). If you see something you want to apply for, put the deadline on your calendar now so that you can start your application, request letters of recommendation, and order transcripts well in advance of the deadline. Deadlines generally hover around the same time of year if not the same date each year:

Graduate Student Research & Travel Grant Opportunities and Fellowships

• AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid program, $500-$3,000 - deadline January 15
• AAAS Pacific Division Student Research Award, up to $750 - deadline May 1
• AAAS Pacific Division Student Travel Grants, up to $150 - deadline 5pm on May 1
• AEG Foundation Funds, variable - deadline February 1
• AIPG William J. Siok Graduate Scholarship Program, $1,000 - deadline February 1
• AGeS2 Program, GSA, for geochronology student research - deadline 3pm on February 1 annually
• AGU travel grants (specific international meetings only) - variable
• College of Science and Engineering, SF State - deadlines vary
• Department of Geosciences research grants, up to $800 - deadlines in the 5th week of Fall semester and the 10th week of Spring semester (usually announced by e-mail)
• EDMAP, US Geological Survey, up to $17,500 - deadline in November
• GSA Graduate Student Research Grants (~50% success rate!), with an average award of ~2,000 - deadline February 1
• GSA Travel Grants to Cordilleran Section meetings - deadline in late Winter/early Spring
• MSA Grant for Student Research in Mineralogy & Petrology, up to $5,000 - deadline March 1
• MSA Grant for Research in Crystallography, up to $5,000 - deadline March 1
• National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship program, must be U.S. Citizen, generous stipend + tuition - deadline November 2
• National Geographic Society Early Career Grants, $5,000-$10,000 - deadline October 21
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, generous stipend + tuition - deadline October 22 annually
• SEG scholarships, $500-$10,000 - deadline March 1
• Society of Economic Geologists Graduate Student Fellowship Program, $2,500-$15,000 - deadline February 1
• Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research program, up to $1,000 - deadlines March 15 & October 1
• Zeiss-GSA Research Grant, $10,000 - deadline February 3

Undergraduate Student Research & Travel Grant Opportunities, and Scholarships

• AEG Foundation Funds, variable - deadline February 1
• AIPG National Undergraduate Scholarships, $1,000-$3,000 - February 1
• Association of Independent Professional Earth Scientists National Undergraduate Scholarship, $1,000-$3,000  - deadline February 1
• College of Science and Engineering, SF State - deadlines vary
• Department of Defense SMART Scholarship Program, generous stipend + tuition - deadline 5pm on December 1
• Department of Geosciences research grants, up to $400 - deadlines vary (announced by email)
• The Desk and Derrick Educational Trust scholarships, U.S. & Canadian citizens only (Min. 3.2 GPA) - deadline April 1
• EDMAP, US Geological Survey, up to $10,000 - deadline in November
• Expanding Representation in Geosciences, GSA, diversity program, $1,500 - deadline May 15
• The Gladys Carol Scholarship Program, $2,500 (renewable, Min. 3.75 GPA) - deadline March 31
• The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation (apply in Sophomore year), tuition + $7,500 - Fall deadline
• GSA Travel Grants to Cordilleran Section meetings - deadline in late Winter/early Spring
• Microscopy Society of America, Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program, up to $3,000 - deadline 11:59pm on December 1 
• MSA Grant for Student Research in Mineralogy & Petrology, up to $5,000 - deadline March 1
• MSA Grant for Research in Crystallography, up to $5,000 - deadline March 1
• National Geographic Society Early Career Grants, $5,000-$10,000 - deadline October 21
• On To The Future, GSA, diversity travel grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the GSA
• SEG scholarships, $500-$10,000 - deadline March 1
• Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research program, up to $1,000 - deadlines March 15 & October 1

Underrepresented Students and/or Womxn Only

• AAPG L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grants - deadline March 31
• AGI Scholarship Programs, Harriet Evelyn Wallace Scholarship for Female Graduate Geoscience Students, $5,000 (can apply twice) - deadline February 7
• AWG awards (scholarships, travel awards, field-based or paleontology research) - award amounts and deadlines are variable
• Collabera STEM Scholarship (women only), $2,500 - deadline May 29
• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (U.S. Citizens only, URM award) - deadline December 17

Field Camp Scholarships (in addition to above scholarships)

• AEG Foundation Beardsley-Kuper Field Camp Scholarship Fund - deadline February 1
• AISES Exxon Mobil scholarships (indigenous students only), $3,000 - deadline May 31
• AWG Maria Crawford Field Camp scholarship, $750 - deadline February 14
• GSA Field Camp Awards, $2,000-$10,000 - deadline March 27 
• NAGT scholarships for field study, $750 - deadline February 14
• SEG Field Camp program, $1,000-$20,000 - deadline February 1
• Scholarships for the Indiana University Judson Mead Geologic Field Station, $40-$180 per credit hour (~80% of students receive a scholarship)
• TravelingGeologist Fieldwork Scholarship (800CAD [or equivalent foreign currency]) - deadline March 31

Good luck!

How to do research, part 1

This is a hard one. Because research is such an unstructured task, it's difficult to describe how to do to it (and do it well). I'll try to pull a few key points from this web site to get started (you'll have to scale a PhD timeline to an MS timeline for SF State):

On doing research in general:

"For many new graduate students, graduate school is unlike anything else they've done. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what it is you're supposed to be learning. Yes, you have to complete a dissertation, but how do you start? What should you spend your time doing?

Graduate school is a very unstructured environment in most cases. Graduate students typically take nine hours or less of coursework per semester, especially after the second year. For many, the third year -- after coursework is largely finished and preliminary exams have been completed -- is a very difficult and stressful period. This is when you're supposed to find a thesis topic, if you're not one of the lucky few who has already found one. Once you do find a topic, you can expect two or more years until completion, with very few landmarks or milestones in sight."

On day-to-day activities [my changes are in brackets]:

"You'll have to read a lot of technical papers to become familiar with any field, and to stay current once you've caught up. You may find yourself spending over half of your time reading, especially at the beginning. This is normal. It's also normal to be overwhelmed by the amount of reading you think you "should" do. Try to remember that it's impossible to read everything that might be relevant: instead, read selectively. When you first start reading up on a new field, ask your advisor or a fellow student what the most useful journals.... are in your field, and ask for a list of seminal or "classic" papers that you should definitely read.... Start with these papers and the last few years of journals and proceedings."

I will add that you should subscribe to automatic journal updates (e-alerts) that send you the titles and links to the current month's publications in major journals - start with AGU, GSA, MSA, Elsevier/ScienceDirect, and Springer. If/when you publish your research, you will be expected to be up-to-date with current research in your field. And you may spot a paper that is just what you're looking for...

"Before bothering to read *any* paper, make sure it's worth it. Scan the title, then the abstract, then -- if you haven't completely lost interest already -- [look] at the introduction, [figures], and conclusions. (Of course, if your advisor tells you that this is an important paper, skip this preliminary step and jump right in!) Before you try to get all of the nitty-gritty details of the paper, skim the whole thing, and try to get a feel for the most important points. If it still seems worthwhile and relevant, go back and read the whole thing. Many people find it useful to take notes while they read [directly in the margins of the paper to find relevant points quickly]. Even if you don't go back later and reread them, it helps to focus your attention and forces you to summarize as you read. And if you do need to refresh your memory later, rereading your notes is much easier and faster than reading the whole paper."

Organize papers in folders according to a broad(ish) topic (e.g., microstructures) so that you can go back and find relevant papers easily.

On staying motivated:

"At times, particularly in the "middle years," it can be very hard to maintain a positive attitude and stay motivated. Many graduate students suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and even boredom. First of all, realize that these are normal feelings. Try to find a sympathetic ear -- another graduate student, your advisor, or a friend outside of school. Next, try to identify why you're having trouble and identify concrete steps that you can take to improve the situation. To stay focused and motivated, it often helps to have organized activities to force you to manage your time and to do something every day. Setting up regular meetings with your advisor, attending seminars, or even extracurricular activities such as sports or music can help you to maintain a regular schedule.

Chapman (see [chapman]) enumerates a number of "immobilizing shoulds" that can make you feel so guilty and unworthy that you stop making progress. Telling yourself that you *should* have a great topic, that you *should* finish in N years, that you *should* work 4, or 8, or 12 hours a day isn't helpful for most people. Be realistic about what you can accomplish, and try to concentrate on giving yourself positive feedback for tasks you do complete, instead of negative feedback for those you don't.

Setting daily, weekly, and monthly goals is a good idea, and works even better if you use a "buddy system" where you and another student meet at regular intervals to review your progress. Try to find people to work with: doing research is much easier if you have someone to bounce ideas off of and to give you feedback.

Breaking down any project into smaller pieces is always a good tactic when things seem unmanageable. At the highest level, doing a master's project before diving into a Ph.D. dissertation is generally a good idea (and is mandatory at some schools). A master's gives you a chance to learn more about an area, do a smaller research project, and establish working relationships with your advisor and fellow students.

The divide-and-conquer strategy works on a day-to-day level as well. Instead of writing an entire thesis, focus on the goal of writing a chapter, section, or outline. Instead of implementing a large system, break off pieces and implement one module at a time. Identify tasks that you can do in an hour or less; then you can come up with a realistic daily schedule. If you have doubts, don't let them stop you from accomplishing something -- take it one day at a time. Remember, every task you complete gets you closer to finishing."

It is very important to make regular progress (i.e., each week). Keep track of how you spend your time: if you are a TA, spend no more time on those tasks that you are paid for (normally 10 hours per week). Your classes should take up another ~25% of your time (because coursework is not the focus in graduate school). You should be spending about 50% of your time "doing research". This should all total at least 40 hours per week, particularly if you want to complete your graduate research within a fixed period of time (2-3 years for an MS, 4-6 years for a PhD). So that translates into at least 20 hours per week "doing research" if you're TAing and taking classes, more if not.

"Doing research" could mean:

• reading papers (a never-ending task...) and following up on potentially-interesting references therein,
  
• investigating an analytical technique (what kind of samples do I need to collect to do Ar/Ar dating? are there any considerations I should keep in mind when collecting my samples? who has the facilities nearby to prep my samples and do the analyses? how much will it cost? is this the right technique to solve the problem I'm interested in?),
• looking at maps to plan field work (where are the roads? where are the relevant rocks? where can I go to find a particular structure? what's the best time of year to go [too hot?, snow-covered?]),
• working with your data (do I see any trends in the REE data for different sample types? is there a correlation between U concentration and U/Pb age?),
• drafting a figure to go into your thesis and/or for a publishable paper,
  
• writing a grant proposal to pay for thin sections or lab analyses you'd like to do,
• looking at thin sections, hand samples, field notebooks and writing rock descriptions (a pretty fundamental task for anyone in my group),
• cutting rock chips to send off to have thin sections made and finding a quality lab to do that work with a relatively quick turn-around time,
• crushing rocks and doing mineral separation or hand-picking minerals for analysis,
• learning how to do mineral separation
• writing your thesis...
  

Research projects that involve both original field and lab work will take longer because you've got to prepare to go to the field, do the field work, process your samples (mineral separates, thin sections, etc.), prepare for lab analyses, work in the lab, and then interpret everything. Working on samples that have already been collected or a thesis project focusing entirely on a lab-based investigation will take less time. Some people can work more efficiently, others less so. Work when you are most productive (early morning? late at night?), and do something more mindless (like hunting for papers or drafting a figure) when you're not being productive. Be sure to carve out regular, uninterrupted time to do your research each week in a place where you can minimize distractions (cleaning the toilet can wait).

I'm sure there is more I'd like to say about doing research so watch for part 2....

Letters of recommendation

Sooner or later, you're going to need a letter of recommendation from professors/employers who know you and are able to write positive things about you. These kinds of letters are necessary for scholarship/grant applications, applications to graduate school, etc. I often get requests at the last minute, with minimal information about the program for which I'm writing the letter, and without copies of any of the other information the student will submit alongside my letter. I suspect the main reason for the lack of information is procrastination...waiting too long to get around to putting the application together.

If the professor agrees to write the letter, all of this means that they won't have enough information about you to write a thoughtful letter that points to your strengths nor time to think about what they might write. The result? A generic letter of recommendation: "John X. took my Petrology class in Spring 2008 and received a final grade of B+, scoring in the top third of students in that class...He is a hard-worker, turned in all assignments, and asks lots of questions in class....I recommend him for XYZ scholarship." Trust me - that's not the kind of letter you want.

It's best if professors are able to talk about improvement of your grades over time and point to the 3.6 GPA in your geology courses (versus the 3.3 overall GPA) - information contained in your transcript. A resume that includes previous relevant work or research experience, published abstracts, scholarships awarded, community service experience, teaching experience, etc. would provide additional details that might significantly improve a letter of recommendation. Finally, having final (or semi-final) copies of the essay(s), budget, and/or statement of purpose can make all the difference; those documents discuss your qualifications for the grant or what you plan do as part of your graduate research, your motivation for pursuing graduate school, whether they feel you're a good fit for the program/advisor to which you're applying....key elements to a letter of recommendation. If you've chosen faculty who know you well academically, they can discuss whether you're a capable researcher and prepared for graduate school, include details of the kind of research you did, discuss how involved intellectually you were with the project, etc. It is also very important to give your letter-writers copies of any details of the grant/scholarship that you're applying for: who is the funder? what sorts of research do they support? what are the eligibility requirements? do they have a preference to support a particular group (women, minorities, petroleum geologists)? what is the typical grant size? For example, here is some of the text describing GSA's Graduate Student Research Grant program:

"The primary role of the GSA research grants program is to provide partial support of master's and doctoral thesis research in the geological sciences for graduate students enrolled in universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. In 2008, 53% of the applicants received funding. GSA strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to participate fully in this grants program."

From this, I can see that they want to partially fund thesis research. That's an important thing to know from the letter-writer's (and the applicant's) standpoint: in a letter, I can emphasize other funding that's available to support a student's research or point to other aspects of the thesis project for which no funding from GSA is requested.

Here is another example from AAPG's Grants-in-Aid program describing how AAPG will choose grant awardees: "Factors weighed in selecting successful applicants include: the qualifications of an applicant as indicated by past performance; originality and imagination of the proposed project; support of the department in which the work is being done; and perceived significance of the project to petroleum, energy minerals and related environmental geology."

Grant proposals often have word/character/page limits that mean you can't necessarily say everything you want in your proposal. Armed with the above information from AAPG's web site, a letter-writer can again better justify funding your proposal by highlighting those specific points about you or your project.

Giving your letter writers all that information with plenty of time (at least 2 weeks before the deadline) gives us good fodder for the letter and puts us in a good frame of mind while we're writing those letters. There is perhaps less need to ask for a letter so formally (see the link above) after the first request, and particularly from your main advisor who has written (multiple) letters for you in the past, but the need for copies of the meat of your application (the essays and budget, the statement of purpose, and program requirements) still stands. Always.

Final tip: academics tend to write more glowing letters than employers/supervisors outside academia (think: the geotechnical firm you worked for right after college) because we know what the competition is like and what stands out (the good and bad) when evaluating a grad school or grant application.

PowerPoint presentations

Whether it's for a class presentation or a thesis proposal or defense, eventually, you will need to create a PowerPoint presentation and give a talk in front of a large group. Here are some things to consider about your presentation:

A good PowerPoint presentation will convey your message, please your audience, and make you look smart. You can refer to this PowerPoint example for tips on how to make a simple, clear presentation. Then you might want to take an amusing look at common PowerPoint mistakes:

When you boil it down: tell your audience what you are going to say, say it, then remind them what you said. Keep your audience in mind (are you talking to undergraduates? faculty and graduate students? meteorologists?) and try to get the level of the talk correct, even tailor the talk to that group. Never make a statement that you can't back up. Finally, don't forget to answer the questions "Why is this important?" and "How does this relate to the bigger picture?" - once at the beginning of your talk and again at the end.

I print out a copy of my PowerPoint presentation and write what I plan to say for each slide on a sticky note attached to each slide; that way, I can practice any time (on the plane, waiting at the doctor's office, etc.).

It is very important to practice your talk in front of an audience of friends - you'll get good feedback and figure out if you need to add/remove/combine/change the order of slides, how long it will actually take you to give your talk, and discover whether there are gaping holes in your talk's content (more introductory material, more thorough explanations of key points, whether adding a figure would help you explain a point, etc.). Hopefully, you will also feel more confident about your talk after practicing.

When you're actually ready to present your talk, keep these things in mind. I particularly like three of those points: 1) Tell a story with your talk; 2) Use (relevant) photos/images/figures; and 3) Never apologize. Use bullets on your slides to remind yourself of key points: you can glance at your slide to remember what you'd like to say, and then make eye contact with your audience while you're speaking. And remember that when it's time for questions at the end of your talk, it's OK to say "I don't know".