Thesis Research: Stage 1

I am dividing my research into stages in order to help meet my goals, deadlines, and expectations.  Stage 1 was a year long process that began with my decision to accept a Research Assistant position with Professor Nancy Powell.  I spent the next year adjusting to graduate school, taking on automotive and weaving related projects and design competitions, and diving head-first into the world of automotive.  (Refer to timeline on right for more details of how this past year was spent)  I was very fortunate to have this much time to understand the field before finalizing my thesis topic and committee.  To be truthful, this all should have been completed months earlier, but because of my track record at the college, I was not given much trouble about my timing, as long as I kept everyone well-informed of my progress.    

So Key Tip #1: Keep your advisors, committee, faculty, etc. INFORMED!

However, I was unaware of many of the guidelines and policies regarding my graduate and thesis work.  I believe a large reason for this is because I entered the program in January, while most students begin in the Fall semester.  We therefore did not have an orientation, and I did not know other students on the same schedule to realize that we were experiencing the same questions.  Also, I am definitely an oddball among the graduate students as far as my research path is concerned.  Most students in my field are on the MT, non thesis track, or Ph.D track.  So it was very difficult for me to find another student with the same experience with whom I could ask questions and commiserate with.  I am certainly one to ask questions, and hating feeling so in the dark- I kept a copy of the graduate handbook on my desk and read through it multiple times trying to find the answers.  Every week I would be introduced to a new term, or learn of a different official document that needed to be submitted by a certain date.  For example, by the end of the first semester, I brought Nancy my "plan of work".  This was basically a document listing all the classes I plan to take and when I plan on taking them.  She said that will be helpful- but something was still a little off.  It was not until the Orientation lecture, which is only given once a year at the beginning of the Fall semester, that I had an "Ah ha" moment and all was clear.  I finally felt like I knew what was going on, realized that a Plan of Work is an official document which needed to be approved within the College as well as by the University, and got a clearer understanding of how to form a committee and what sort of dates I need to be looking at to meet thesis deadlines.  I told my advisors about this rather large, but simple to fix misunderstanding, and am glad to see that this semester they did include the video of the Orientation on the CoT Graduate Website:

CoT Graduate Orientation 

Key Tip #2: Ask and you shall Receive.

By October, I managed to submit my Plan of Work, which also required me selecting a 4 member committee.  I of course chose my graduate advisor, Nancy Powell, who has a background in industry for Automotive Textile Design, along with Dr. Marguerite Moore, who has a background in Marketing, and Dr. Kristin Thoney, who has a background in Supply Chain.  I also asked Mr. John Emrich to join me on my committee.  John is wonderfully connected with the industry and will be able to provide me with almost 40 years of experience and know-how.  I am honored to be working with such a wonderful group of individuals with very complementary skill sets and attitudes.  (For more information on these members, please see right hand column)

The final step in this First Stage was to introduce my committee to one another and inform them in more detail about my research goals.  At this point, the only thing on paper was a very rough outline of my research drawn-up with the help of Nancy.  This provided a good enough starting place for us to engage in conversation and discuss what tactics and resources might be most helpful to me in the upcoming months.  We compiled a list of "To Do's" for our next meeting and I hope to accomplish these in the upcoming weeks.

Where I stand now:

The week of our meeting was the last that I was in commission for about a months time.  I had a surgical procedure on Dec. 18 and spent the 2 1/2 weeks recovering (the committee was aware of this delay).  In order to jump back into a normal schedule and test my endurance, I attended the Inspired Design Jacquard Weaving Conference.  I was a student assistant for this event which meant I had to be on my toes at all times- and awake at all hours.  The event was exhausting but motivating.  This conference helped me return to a somewhat regular sleep schedule and certainly has me off of that recovery couch.  I did miss the first few days of school in order to attend the conference, but luckily once again my track record at school has paid off and my professors trusted me to catch up with the class.  

Key Tip #3:  Your past does render Your future.