Home Science Communication Yay! I defended my PhD thesis

Yay! I defended my PhD thesis

by Eva Amsen

I’m still incapable of writing anything longer than this, but here are 1000 words, in picture form, from Tuesday, when I successfully defended my PhD thesis.

PhD thesis success
Yay! I’m really tired and brain-dead, still.

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24 comments

Richard P. Grant December 12, 2008 - 10:15 PM

Yay!
What a super cake.

Corie Lok December 12, 2008 - 10:26 PM

Congratulations!

Bora Zivkovic December 12, 2008 - 10:33 PM

Yessssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephen Curry December 12, 2008 - 10:39 PM

Many congratulations Dr Amsen!

Cath Ennis December 12, 2008 - 10:42 PM

w00t!
Love the curly candles!

Kristi Vogel December 12, 2008 - 11:08 PM

Congratulations!
Great cake (looks chocolatey?) and candles!

Henry Gee December 12, 2008 - 11:36 PM

well done, Eva. Let life commence!

Eva Amsen December 13, 2008 - 12:01 AM

Thanks guys! I got the cake from my lab. I cut it so that my piece said “Eva”, but I’m only realizing now that I missed out on the extravagant icing on the sides that way. I’m still completely exhausted and sleeping all the time, and haven’t quite realized what happened.

Cath Ennis December 13, 2008 - 12:41 AM

You didn’t want the part that said Dr?
I remember trying to grill students coming out of their viva/defense, to find out what kind of questions they were asked. None of them could ever remember, which left those of us who were still to defend feeling pretty frustrated. But then, predictably, I was asked the same question right after mine, and I really couldn’t remember. At all. Mental black hole. Some bits and pieces did come back, eventually!

Eva Amsen December 13, 2008 - 12:48 AM

Everyone asked me those two things:
“You didn’t want the Dr. part?” and “What did they ask?”.
But if I had the Dr. part, someone else would have my name!
I do remember one question. After a series of questions I didn’t know or understand, someone asked “Do you know how cargo is recognized by the AP proteins?” and I excitedly exclaimed “YES!” (and _then_ gave the answer: Tyrosine and di-leucine motifs. I had just studied that two days earlier. It wasn’t directly related to what I did, but it felt like something someone might ask me, and they did!)

Sabine Hossenfelder December 13, 2008 - 1:08 AM

Congratulations, Eva 🙂 Enjoy the feeling of carrying a Dr title.

Michael Nielsen December 13, 2008 - 2:17 AM

Congratulations Eva!

Martin Fenner December 13, 2008 - 2:34 AM

Congratulations!

James Hardy December 13, 2008 - 2:44 AM

Eva,
Just enjoy your dessert and worry about the rest later.
Congratulations! I am really happy for you.

Bob O'Hara December 13, 2008 - 6:27 AM

Congratulations!
I suspect examiners carry some sort of fancy device into defences that emit rays of one sort or another, the effect of which it to make the examinee forget the exam. My examiner’s device was obviously malfunctioning, as I can remember one question from mine.

steffi suhr December 13, 2008 - 6:32 AM

Congrats again, Dr. Eva!!

Lars Juhl Jensen December 13, 2008 - 10:29 AM

Congratulations Dr. Amsen!

Clare Dudman December 13, 2008 - 10:40 AM

Many congratulations, doc! Very impressive cake -looks delicious.

Cameron Neylon December 13, 2008 - 11:47 AM

Congratulations! And just keep eating cake! Bob, that device can be very dangerous as it can lead to the examiners forgetting the questions they were going to ask. Does nothing for the impression of omnipotence you are supposed to create…

Laurence Moran December 13, 2008 - 2:39 PM

Congratulations Eva!!!! Well done.
The doors to our seminar room were tightly shut as your defense was going on. I walked by several times hoping to see you and be among the first to congratulate you. Sorry I missed you … and the cake.

Mike Fowler December 13, 2008 - 2:55 PM

Marvellous work, Eva. Now everyone can ask you the classic Warner Bros’ question:

T. Troy McConaghy December 13, 2008 - 3:02 PM

You could have eaten the whole chunk with “Dr. Eva Amsen” on top. Not all at once, of course!

Eva Amsen December 13, 2008 - 3:11 PM

The memory ray was so strong that when I looked at the pictures on my dad’s camera I was surprised to find photos from less than a week ago of me playing violin. I completely forgot about that Christmas concert!

Åsa Karlström December 13, 2008 - 5:01 PM

Congrats Dr Amsen!
How fun! Now, lots of sleep and happy giddy smiles 🙂

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