• A Meandering Scholar by Ian Brooks

    Wherein I hope to document the path of change: The continuing evolution of the Postdoctoral Fellow within academia.

    • A nice way to start the day

      Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:01 UTC

      I submitted my R01 on time, yesterday and then promptly slept for 15 hours. A couple more early nights and I’ll be ready for the next one! Planning meetings start next week, and the deadline is September, so might as well get an early crack at it…now I know what a Monster it can be.

      Anyway, I’ve got that “dead head” feeling one gets when recovering from nervous exhaustion, and I’m wondering how I can plan my next couple of days to be as efficient as possible, without taking on tasks that demand 110% of my mental faculties. I have to complete my on-line IRB training, I have the user-manual of our database software to proofread…and now I have a manuscript to revise!

      This gave me a nice warm fuzzy glow, no amount of cheap coffee is going to extinguish. Not only are researchers line up round the block to use our database, but it seems the wider scientific community approves too!

      Dr. Brooks

      Members of the editorial review board have completed the review of you and your co-author’s manuscript, “(deleted)". The reviewers have recommended that your manuscript be conditionally accepted pending a few revisions. These recommended revisions are noted in the enclosed manuscript peer review forms.

      Please submit your revised manuscript and a description of how you addressed each suggested revision by February 16, 2009. Please send an e-mail to (the editor) if you need additional time. If you believe that the suggested revisions are scientifically inappropriate, or that they substantially change the intent of your manuscript, please provide a clear explanation of your reasons.

      I hope you will consider making the suggested revisions in your manuscript.

      Ahhh…gives a boy a warm glow, it does.

      Last updated: Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:01 UTC

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      • Comments

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:02 UTC
          Christie Wilcox said:

          NICE. *High fives

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:35 UTC
          Ian Brooks said:

          Thanks Christie :) It’s the little victories that keep you bouyant

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:42 UTC
          Cath Ennis said:

          My PhD supervisor (a keen sailor) always said that science is all peaks and troughs, and the only thing that ever differs is the gaps between the peaks. Sounds like you got two back to back! Congrats!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 17:44 UTC
          Eva Amsen said:

          WOohoo! Congrats!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 18:18 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          Ah, how the other half lives.

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 19:19 UTC
          Åsa Karlström said:

          W00T!!! Congrats! hope there will be easy to “explain” and get the happy “accepted” back quick!

          And good luck with the next grant! Seems like a long time to September but I realised yesterday that I was planning experimients that were going to happen thereabouts… time is just time after all ;)

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 19:55 UTC
          Jennifer Rohn said:

          Congratulations!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 20:49 UTC
          Ian Brooks said:

          Thanks guys, gush gush

          First of all I’d like to thank The Academy… wait… wrong speech…

          @Cath: My PIs analogy was rollercoasters. I didn’t point out I hate rollercoasters LOL. I like the sailing analogy better.

          @Asa: The revisions will be fairly easy. It’s all writing so no experiments to worry about!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 23:18 UTC
          Stephen Curry said:

          Nice one Ian – enjoy! – I think I can see the glow from here…

        • Date:
          Thursday, 22 Jan 2009 - 23:34 UTC
          Cath Ennis said:

          The thing with rollercoasters is that, if you like them (and I love them), the steep descents from the peaks are actually the best parts. In science… not so much.

        • Date:
          Friday, 23 Jan 2009 - 15:10 UTC
          Ian Brooks said:

          LMAO. Not a great analogy all round then eh?!

          For me the steep inclines are horrible too because of the long drop on the other side…


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