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The Columbus Meeting: Similarities and Differences Among Repeat Attendees

Explore the similarities and differences among repeat attendees at the OSU Symposium, including cultural aspects, academic backgrounds, and career stages. Discover the pleasures derived from this meeting at each stage of spectroscopic development and what makes us unique.

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The Columbus Meeting: Similarities and Differences Among Repeat Attendees

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  1. The Columbus Meeting • Who goes? • A theoretical analysis of those of us who go on to • become repeat attenders at the OSU Symposium. • In what ways can we be quite different? • In what ways are we almost the same? • and Why? • What pleasures do we derive from this meeting at • each stage of our spectroscopic development?

  2. What makes us different? Some multiple choice cultural questions: National Foods: In my culture we eat (1) most, (2) some, (3) no animals. National Dress: In my native country we like (1) nude beaches, (2) burqas,(3) kimonos. National God(s): In my culture we have (1) one, (2) several, (3) many gods. National Enemies: The past and present enemies of my people are . . .

  3. What makes us almost identical? We all have studied mathematics, physics, chemistry. The laws describing these fields cannot be changed by governments or by cultures. (But they sometimes try). This means that our way of thinking is often more like that of other Columbus attendees than it is like that of many citizens in our native country. We all had to study many books for many years in university. We often like solving scientific puzzles. This means that our personalities are often more like those of other Columbus attendees than like those of many citizens in our native country.

  4. We may be similar in thinking, but we are at different stages of our careers ~Age Position in work force (years) (Rank in hierarchy) 18-22 Undergrad 23-28 Grad Student 29-32 Post-doc 33-40 Young staff member 41-54 Mid-career staff member 55-64 Old staff member 65-80+ Retiree We will look at these periods one at a time

  5. We are all at different stages of our research Position Talk is frequently on Undergrad Senior thesis Grad Student Ph.D. thesis Post-doc Supervisor’s ideas Young staff Own brilliant ideas Mid-career staff Group members give the talks Old staff Work in drawer for 10+ years Retiree A topic from a long time ago

  6. What does an Undergrad get from the Symposium? Case 1 – Without 15-minute Talk Career guidance: Is the world I want to work in = Is this really the stuff I want to think about? Are these really the people I want to associate with? FOR THE WHOLE REST OF MY LIFE???

  7. What does an Undergrad get from the Symposium? Case 1 – Without 15-minute Talk Career guidance: Is the world I want to work in = Is this really the stuff I want to think about? Are these really the people I want to associate with? FOR THE WHOLE REST OF MY LIFE??? Case 2 – With 15-minute Talk Career guidance as above and a sense of VICTORY I did it !!! I gave a talk !!! in front of all those really old and famous scientists !!! and I survived !!!

  8. What do Grad Students and Post Docs get? • Treat these 2 categories together and in detail • because nurturing exactly these 2 stages is one • of the central purposes of the Columbus Meeting. • 1. A chance to compare one’s scientific results • against the results of others in one’s age group. • (Sports Tournaments or Musical Competitions) • A chance to show one’s results to an audience • with ~ 1 to 4 people who are REALLY interested • in them, either as competitors or potential users. • (often detailed questions after the talk or later)

  9. What do Grad Students and Post Docs get? • If foreign and giving first talk in English: • I did it !!! • I talked for 15 minutes IN ENGLISH !!! • and I survived !!! • A chance for lengthy and nearly barrier-free • interactions with older spectroscopists doing • similar work, to learn the “tricks of the trade” • practiced in their labs. • (Like apprentices in the Guilds 500 years ago • and apprentices in trade unions today)

  10. What do Grad Students and Post Docs get? • A chance to present a talk (and not a poster): • To organize material logically & control the flow • To hold (not lose) the listener’s attention • With interesting (but not too dense) content, etc. • To “show one’s stuff” as a “transmitter” of ideas • (harder at question-driven poster presentations) • A chance to start life-long professional • friendships. • 7. Official induction and welcoming into the • world-wide family of molecular spectroscopists.

  11. Back to the theoretical analysis of data on ourselves A few years ago OSU installed a network of campus-wide surveillance cameras and other sensors purchased from the Department of Homeland Security These have been used to collect “profile information” on activities of the repeat attenders at Columbus. Results are now available from the first study, which focussed on two subjects: (1) campus trajectories of attendees (2) electricity cutoff times in the dorms Summarized in next table

  12. We are all at different stages of our biorhythms ~Age Rank ~Bedtime (in yrs) (if no jet lag) 18-22 Undergrad 12 midnight 23-28 Grad Student 2 a.m. 29-32 Post-doc 3 a.m. 33-40 Young staff 1 a.m. 41-54 Mid-career staff 12 midnight 55-64 Old staff 11 p.m. 65-80 Retiree 10 p.m. The OSU Department of Psychology has developed a comprehensive theory for this behavior.

  13. Main conclusions from study: Grad students and post-docs derive from 2 to 5 extra hours of benefit per day of OSU Symposium attendance, when compared to benefits derived by early-career and late-career attendees.

  14. What do Young Staff Members get from OSU • Symposium attendance? • Look for and/or recruit post-docs for their lab. • Look for and/or scrounge surplus equipment. • 2. Watch the talks for new research and/or • new proposal ideas. • 3. Take in a little more mentoring. • (grant applications, when to go up for tenure) • 4. Watch oneself get into the scientific network • based on results presented in one’s talks.

  15. What do Mid-Career Spectroscopists get • from attending OSU Symposium? • A chance to pass their experience on to the • next generation of spectroscopists. • (the “giving” side of mentoring) • Attend prestigious committee meetings • with others from their own age group: • Organizing committee meetings • Steering committee meetings • Editorial committee meetings • Advisory committee meetings • Visiting committeemeetings

  16. What do Late-Career Spectroscopists get from attending the OSU Symposium? A chance to enjoy the immense respect and admiration of younger spectroscopists. For example: Some grad-student or post-doc reads your name tag at the picnic and says: Oh, are you Jon Hougen ???

  17. I once read a paper you wrote, from before I was born. I thought you’d be dead by now.

  18. Finally, what do Retirees get from attending the OSU Symposium? A chance to participate, after our early to mid 60’s, in new spectroscopic research and development for as long as we can manage it.

  19. Finally, what do Retirees get from attending the OSU Symposium? A chance to participate, after our early to mid 60’s, in new spectroscopic research and development for as long as we can manage it. So I don’t know who is actually happier this week Some grad student here at his/her 1st Columbus, or me here at my 52nd.

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