It was Friday and the Vth year PhD student presentation. The total attendance: 2 faculty (myself and the student's PI) and 10 students. Absymal.
I cannot emphasise enough on the importance of attending seminars. They are absolute must because one never knows what one will learn. I learn today about the differentiation process in Trypanosomes. I do not work on Trypanosomes but it was interesting to learn about the process in a protozoan parasite. Of course, I do not hesitate to confess that there are many seminars where I have fallen asleep also but...
The faculty and the students alike think it is not necessary to attend seminars. If it is not their topic what is the point? At UVa, the Head of the Department had made attendance compulsory. But here there is no such rule. No one cares.
Which is a pity. There is lot of hand wringing about the quality of our students and about our program. But things like seminars add value to the program. It would be good if both the faculty and the students would remember that.
But I also know that I write in vain. No one, not even my students, are going to turn up for the seminars. They have much more "important" things to do.
I cannot emphasise enough on the importance of attending seminars. They are absolute must because one never knows what one will learn. I learn today about the differentiation process in Trypanosomes. I do not work on Trypanosomes but it was interesting to learn about the process in a protozoan parasite. Of course, I do not hesitate to confess that there are many seminars where I have fallen asleep also but...
The faculty and the students alike think it is not necessary to attend seminars. If it is not their topic what is the point? At UVa, the Head of the Department had made attendance compulsory. But here there is no such rule. No one cares.
Which is a pity. There is lot of hand wringing about the quality of our students and about our program. But things like seminars add value to the program. It would be good if both the faculty and the students would remember that.
But I also know that I write in vain. No one, not even my students, are going to turn up for the seminars. They have much more "important" things to do.
