I Gave My Ph.D. Thesis Proposal/Oral Exam
TLDRThe speaker shares their experience of completing the rigorous process of becoming a Ph.D. candidate at NMSU. They describe the various stages of exams, including the qualifying exam, the written portion of the comprehensive exam, and the oral exam. The oral exam, conducted via Zoom due to COVID-19, involved a research presentation on theoretical physics, specifically the energy momentum tensor's D term, and a subsequent Q&A session. The committee's feedback was both challenging and supportive, pushing the candidate to think critically and connect concepts. The advisor's humorous announcement of being 'sentenced to complete a dissertation' confirmed the candidate's success. The video concludes with the speaker's excitement about officially becoming a Ph.D. candidate and the journey ahead in astrophysics and theoretical nuclear physics.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The speaker has successfully passed their oral exam, becoming a PhD candidate in theoretical nuclear physics.
- 📚 The journey to becoming a PhD candidate at NMSU involves taking graduate-level courses, passing a qualifying exam, and then a comprehensive exam.
- 📈 There are two tiers of passing the comprehensive exam: conditional pass, which requires a research proposal, and unconditional pass, which does not.
- 🤔 The speaker initially misunderstood the process, thinking an unconditional pass meant they were done after a research presentation.
- 📈 The oral exam includes both a research presentation and questions from the committee, covering the candidate's research and relevant coursework.
- 👥 The speaker's oral exam committee consisted of five members, including theoretical and experimental physicists, and a representative from the dean's office.
- 🧐 The committee asked both technical and broader questions, testing the candidate's knowledge and ability to connect concepts.
- 📈 The speaker's research focuses on form factors of the energy momentum tensor, specifically the 'D' term, which is believed to be related to pressure distributions within protons or neutrons.
- 🤓 The speaker found it challenging to present theoretical physics research because it's heavily mathematical and not typically presented in a visual format.
- 🎉 The speaker's advisors were pleased with the presentation, and the committee's discussion led to the decision that the candidate should proceed to write a dissertation.
- 🚀 The speaker's advisor expressed high hopes for the dissertation, stating that even if it falls short of the ultimate goal, the process itself is valuable and worthy of a PhD.
Q & A
What are the two major exams that a student pursuing a PhD at NMSU must take?
-The two major exams are the Qualifying Exam and the Comprehensive Exam. The Qualifying Exam is at an advanced undergraduate level and is a prerequisite for taking the Comprehensive Exam, which consists of a written portion and an oral portion.
What does a PhD level pass on the Qualifying Exam allow a student to do?
-A PhD level pass on the Qualifying Exam allows a student to proceed to take the written portion of the Comprehensive Exam after finishing their graduate level courses.
What are the two tiers of passing for the written portion of the Comprehensive Exam?
-The two tiers are the Conditional Pass, which requires the student to provide additional information to their oral exam committee, and the Unconditional Pass, which does not require any additional information.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the oral exam setting for the speaker?
-Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the oral exam was conducted as a Zoom meeting rather than in-person in a room full of the student's superiors on campus.
What was the speaker's research presentation about?
-The speaker's research presentation was about studying the 'D term', which is related to pressure distributions inside protons or neutrons, and is part of the energy momentum tensor in theoretical physics.
What is the 'Scalar Diquark Model' mentioned by the experimentalist on the speaker's committee?
-The Scalar Diquark Model is a simplification in particle physics where two of the three quarks that make up a proton are treated as a single particle called the scalar diquark, making calculations more manageable.
Why is the lifetime of the neutral pion shorter than that of the charged pion?
-The exact reason is not provided in the script, but it is implied that the difference in lifetimes is related to the different decay processes and interactions that the neutral and charged pions undergo.
What was the speaker's advisor's strategy for the oral exam?
-The advisor suggested that the speaker make a research presentation to guide the questions towards topics they are familiar with and can confidently discuss.
What does the phrase 'we regret to inform you' signify in the context of the speaker's oral exam?
-In this context, it is a playful and dramatic way the advisor used to announce that the speaker has passed the oral exam and is now required to complete a dissertation.
What was the advisor's expectation for the speaker's dissertation?
-The advisor expected that if successful, the speaker's dissertation would make a significant contribution to the field. Even if it falls short, the process of getting there is considered valuable and worthy of a PhD.
How did the speaker feel about passing their oral exam and becoming a PhD candidate?
-The speaker felt fantastic and proud of themselves for passing the oral exam and becoming a PhD candidate. They viewed it as a significant milestone and were excited to start their PhD journey.
What was the speaker's strategy for dealing with questions they didn't know the answer to during the oral exam?
-The speaker relied on the committee to guide them in the right direction if they were stumped. By asking follow-up questions, the committee helped the speaker connect the dots and arrive at the answer.
Outlines
🎓 Journey to PhD Candidacy: Exams and Oral Presentation
The speaker discusses their academic journey towards becoming a PhD candidate, including the challenges and processes of taking graduate-level physics exams, the qualifying exam, and the comprehensive exam. They highlight the importance of achieving a PhD level pass, the tiers of passing (conditional and unconditional pass), and the necessity of a research proposal for the former. The narrative continues with the preparation and delivery of an oral exam presentation via Zoom, which is a deviation from the traditional in-person format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentation focuses on the speaker's research in theoretical physics, specifically the 'D term' related to pressure distributions within protons or neutrons. The committee, consisting of experts in theoretical and experimental nuclear physics, as well as a representative from the dean's office, asks both technical and particle physics questions, pushing the candidate to think critically and connect concepts. The paragraph concludes with the successful passing of the oral exam and the humorous 'sentence' to complete a dissertation.
📚 Insights from the Oral Exam and Research Expectations
This paragraph delves into the speaker's experience during the oral exam, emphasizing the mix of technical questions and broader particle physics inquiries. The candidate is asked to prove a normalization constraint and discuss the scalar diquark model, which simplifies the treatment of protons composed of quarks. The experimentalist on the committee inquires about the applications of this model, particularly concerning mesons, with a focus on the pion's lifetime. The speaker admits to being initially stumped by a question but is guided by follow-up questions to reach a conclusion. The committee's approach is revealed to be more about understanding the candidate's knowledge and guiding them in the right direction rather than a traditional exam experience. Upon successfully completing the exam, the candidate is humorously 'sentenced' to write a dissertation, marking the end of formal exams and the beginning of the dissertation phase. The advisor's positive feedback on the presentation and the high expectations for the dissertation's contribution to the field are also shared, along with encouragement for others facing similar academic challenges.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Graduate Level Physics Courses
💡Qualifying Exam
💡Comprehensive Exam
💡Research Proposal
💡Oral Exam
💡Theoretical Physics
💡Energy Momentum Tensor
💡Scalar Diquark Model
💡Meson
💡PhD Candidate
💡Dissertation
Highlights
The speaker has completed their oral exam and is now a PhD candidate in theoretical nuclear physics.
The PhD journey involves taking a qualifying exam and a comprehensive exam, with the latter having a written and oral component.
The qualifying exam covers advanced undergraduate material and is a prerequisite for the comprehensive exam.
The comprehensive exam's written portion tests knowledge of all graduate-level courses taken.
There are two tiers of passing the written comprehensive exam: conditional pass and unconditional pass.
An unconditional pass, which the speaker received, means no additional research proposal is needed before the oral exam.
The oral exam is a significant step in confirming a student as a PhD candidate.
The speaker's oral exam was conducted via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Advisors recommended creating a research presentation to guide the direction of questions during the oral exam.
The speaker's research focuses on the D-term of the energy momentum tensor in theoretical physics.
The oral exam committee consisted of five members, including theoretical and experimental physicists and a representative from the dean.
The speaker faced both technical and particle physics questions during the oral exam.
The committee helps guide students when they are unsure of answers, aiming to assess their knowledge and potential.
The speaker's advisor indicated that even if the research falls short, the process itself is valuable and worthy of a PhD.
The speaker's dissertation topic is expected to make a significant contribution to the field of theoretical nuclear physics.
The speaker's partner, Kelly, also passed her oral exams in astronomy, and they are both now working towards their PhDs.
The speaker emphasizes that while the completion of formal exams is a milestone, the real work of research and dissertation is just beginning.
Transcripts
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