- Tuesday, 19 November 2013
- Roger Mitton
- អាមេរិក បានលួចស្តាប់ការសន្ទនាតាមទូរស័ព្ទ
និងលួចមើលសារអេឡិចត្រូនិករបស់មនុស្សគ្រប់ៗគ្នាក្នុងតំបន់។មិន
មាននរណាម្នាក់អាចរួចផុតទេ។ មិនថាអ្នក មិនថាខ្ញុំ
មិនថាលោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីហ៊ុន សែន ឬមេដឹកនាំបក្សប្រឆាំងលោក សម
រង្ស៊ី ទេ។
យើង ដឹងវា ក៏ដោយសារការលាតត្រដាងដោយអតីតអ្នកម៉ៅការភ្នាក់ងារសន្តិសុខ ជាតិ (NSA) លោក Edward Snowden ដែលពេលនេះ បានរស់នៅនិរទេសនៅក្រុង ម៉ូស្គូ។ កាសែត ញូវយ៉ក ថែម បានកត់សម្គាល់នៅខែនេះថា៖ «NSA បានប្រតិបត្តិលើគោលការណ៍ដែលថា ការលួចស្តាប់អាចកំណត់លើគោលដៅបរទេសនៃប្រយោជន៍ដែលគេអាចគិតទៅ ដល់ពេលនេះ ឬនៅពេលខាងមុខ ដែលគេគួរតែធ្វើ»។
កាសែតនេះបានហៅ NSA ថាជាការចាប់យកព័ត៌មានដែលឥតរើសមុខ តាមរយៈការលួចយកឯកសាររបស់រដ្ឋាភិបាលនិងការកំណត់គោលដៅផ្សេងទៀត នៃរឿងសម្ងាត់របស់ពួកគេ»។
ក្នុងរបៀបនេះ ក្រុង វ៉ាស៊ីនតោន បានតាមដានមិនត្រឹមតែលើប្រព័ន្ធគមនាគមន៍នៃរបបដែលមានល្បិចកល ដូចជា ភូមា និង វៀតណាម ប៉ុណ្ណោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែថែមទាំងសម្ព័ន្ធមិត្តសន្ធិសញ្ញាដូចជា ហ្វីលីពីន និង ថៃ ផងដែរ។
នៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញឯណេះវិញ សេវាប្រមូលព័ត៌មានពិសេសរបស់ NSA ប្រតិបត្តិការចេញពីបន្ទប់ដែលគេចាក់សោនៅក្នុងស្ថានទូតអាមេរិកធំ ទូលាយក្បែរ វត្តភ្នំ។
ដូចលោក Peter Galbraith អតីតឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូតអាមេរិក បានសរសេរក្នុងកាសែត Guardian ដែលមានចំណងជើងថា «តើការជ្រៀតជ្រែកការសម្ងាត់ជារឿងហ្មត់ចត់ប៉ុនណា?»។ NSA អាចចាប់យកទិន្នន័យជាច្រើន ប៉ុន្តែវា មិនមានន័យថា មានប្រយោជន៍នោះទេ»។
លោកបានអះអាងបន្តថា៖ «យើងភាគច្រើន ដែលមានជីវិតរស់នៅមិនមានប្រយោជន៍ដល់ភ្នាក់ងារចារកម្មណាមួយទេ ហើយសូម្បីតែសម្រាប់មនុស្សដែលមានប្រយោជន៍ ការសន្ទនាភាគច្រើន និងសារអេឡិចត្រូនិក មិនមានតម្លៃទេសម្រាប់ចារកម្ម»។
ប៉ុន្តែយើង សូមផ្អាកបន្តិច ហើយវាយតម្លៃថា ខណៈដែលអ្វីដែលលោក Galbraith បាននិយាយគេអាចយកជាការបានខ្លះៗ ហើយគេ ក៏មិនអាចបដិសេធថា មិនមានមនុស្សជាច្រើន រស់នៅដោយគ្មានប្រយោជន៍ធំធេងនោះទេ។
ថ្មីៗនេះ កាសែត បាងកក ប៉ុស្តិ៍ បានគិតពីលទ្ធភាព ដែលក្រុង វ៉ាស៊ីនតោន អាចលួចស្តាប់ការសន្ទនាតាមទូរស័ព្ទរបស់លោកស្រី យីងឡាក់ ស៊ីណាវ៉ាត្រា។
កាសែតនេះបានសន្និដ្ឋានថា ប្រធានាធិបតីអាមេរិក លោក បារ៉ាក់ អូបាម៉ា អាច «ទទួលបានព័ត៌មាននៃការសន្ទនាសម្ងាត់មុនពេលលោកធ្វើដំណើរទៅប្រទេស ថៃ កាលពីឆ្នាំមុន»។
អ្នកអាចនិយាយថា វាជារឿងសំខាន់ប៉ុន្តែចូរគិតម្តងទៀត ហើយបំភ្លេចចោលនូវកិច្ចចរចាគោលនយោបាយដែលធុញទ្រាន់ ហើយគិតពីបញ្ហាផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនដែលសំខាន់ជាង។
ឧទាហរណ៍ បន្ទាប់ពីការលួចស្តាប់លោក ហ៊ុន សែន និងក្រុមរដ្ឋមន្រ្តីរបស់លោក និងមន្រ្តីរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត ព្រមទាំងលោក សម រង្ស៊ី និងកូនចៅរបស់លោករួចមក អាមេរិក នឹងដឹងច្បាស់ថាតើលទ្ធផលការបោះឆ្នោត កាលពីខែ កក្កដា ត្រូវបានគេកំណត់ជាមុនឬយ៉ាងណា? គេក៏នឹងដឹងថាតើរដ្ឋមន្រ្តីក្រសួង ការបរទេសលោក ហោ ណាំហុង ពិតជាបង្ហាញសេចក្តីព្រាងស្តីពីសេចក្តីថ្លែងការណ៍ នៃកិច្ចប្រជុំរដ្ឋមន្រ្តីអាស៊ានដល់ចិន ដើម្បីអនុម័តកាលពីខែ កក្កដា ឆ្នាំមុនឬអត់?
លើសពីនេះ ភ្នាក់ងារចារកម្មអាមេរិក នឹងដឹងច្បាស់ ពីរបៀបដែលនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី ម៉ាឡេស៊ី លោក Najib Razak ពាក់ព័ន្ធជាមួយនារីបង្ហាញម៉ូដជនជាតិ ម៉ុងហ្គោលី ដ៏ស្រស់ឆើតឆាយ Altantuya Shaaribuu ដែលក្រោយមកទៀត ត្រូវបានគេសម្លាប់។ តាមពិត ពួកគេ ពិតជាបានដឹង ចំពោះពាក្យចចាមអារ៉ាមជាច្រើនមានដូចជាថា តើការចែចង់លោកស្រី អ៊ុង សាន ស៊ូជី នៃប្រទេស ភូមា មានទំនាក់ទំនងជាមួយនឹងសមាជិកសភាវ័យក្មេងលោក David Hla Myint ដែលរឿងនេះ ពិតជាបានធ្វើឲ្យអ្នកយុទ្ធសាស្រ្តបក្សដែលគេគោរព លោក Kyi Maung លាលែង ហើយពួកគេ នឹងដឹងច្បាស់ថា តើការលួចធ្វើឃាតកាលពីឆ្នាំ ២០១០ ចំពោះឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ផ្តាច់ខ្លួន លោក Seh Daeng ដែលគាំទ្រការតវ៉ាក្រុមអាវក្រហមប្រឆាំងរដ្ឋាភិបាល ជាស្នាដៃរបស់អ្នកលួចបាញ់ប្រហារនៅសណ្ឋាគារ Dusit Thani ឬយ៉ាងណា? ព័ត៌មានបែបនេះមិនអាចកាត់ថ្លៃបានទេសម្រាប់ប្រទេសមហាអំណាច។
នៅទីបញ្ចប់ វាជាការកំញើញ ហើយវាក៏ជាអ្នកអនុវត្តចុងក្រោយផងដែរ មានន័យថា ចូរធ្វើតាមអ្វីដែលខ្ញុំប្រាប់ បើមិនដូច្នោះទេ ត្រៀមខ្លួនទទួលយកការលាតត្រដាងពីរឿងអាក្រក់។
ឧទាហរណ៍មួយអំពីរបៀបដែលវាមានប្រសិទ្ធភាពគឺពេលនេះ គេកំពុងតែលាតត្រដាងនៅ ហ្វីលីពីន អំពីឥស្សរជននយោបាយគ្រប់រូបដែលរួមមានប្រធានព្រឹទ្ធសភា ជើងចាស់លោក Juan Ponce Enrile ផងដែរ។ នៅពេលនេះតែម្តង ក្រុង វ៉ាស៊ីនតោន អន្ទះសាចង់ដាក់ទាហានរបស់ខ្លួនឲ្យឈរជើងនៅប្រទេសនេះជាថ្មីរីឯ លោកប្រធានាធិបតី Benigno Aquino គាំទ្រគំនិតនេះ ប៉ុន្តែលោក Enrile មិនគាំទ្រទេ។ ភ្លាមៗនោះ មានការលាតត្រដាងជាច្រើនថា លោក Enrile បានលួចមូលនិធិរដ្ឋ ហើយគាត់ ត្រូវបានចោទប្រកាន់ពីបទលួចបន្លំ។ តើព័ត៌មាននេះ បានមកពីណា? ហើយតើគេ នឹងទម្លាក់ការចោទប្រកាន់ទាំងនេះទេ ប្រសិនបើគាត់ ឈប់ជំទាស់នឹងការវិលត្រឡប់មកវិញរបស់ទាហានអាមេរិក?
វាជាការរំឭកមួយដល់មេដឹកនាំទាំងអស់ថា មានគេកំពុងតែឃ្លាំមើល ហើយប្រសិនបើនរណាធ្វើអ្វីមិនល្អ គេអាចនឹងលាតត្រដាង ហើយរឿងនោះ មិនមែនជារឿងអាក្រក់ទេ៕ NR
I am proud of being a Khmer. Sharing knowledge is a significant way to develop our country toward the rule of law and peace.
Wednesday 20 November 2013
បងធំកំពុងតែតាមដានយ៉ាងយកចិត្តទុកដាក់
Thursday 31 October 2013
9 things you should consider before embarking on a PhD: The ideal research program you envision is not what it appears to be
By Andy Greenspon | Posted on 3 April 2013
If you are planning to apply for a PhD
program, you're probably getting advice from dozens of students,
professors, administrators your parents and the Internet. Sometimes it's
hard to know which advice to focus on and what will make the biggest
difference in the long-run. So before you go back to daydreaming about
the day you accept that Nobel Prize, here are nine things you should
give serious thought to. One or more of these tips may save you from
anguish and help you make better decisions as you embark on that path to
a PhD.
1. Actively seek out information about PhD programs
Depending on your undergraduate institution, there may be more or
less support to guide you in selecting a PhD program – but there is
generally much less than when you applied to college.
On the website of my physics department, I found a page written by
one of my professors, which listed graduate school options in physics
and engineering along with resources to consult. As far as I know, my
career center did not send out much information about PhD programs. Only
after applying to programs did I find out that my undergraduate website
had a link providing general information applicable to most PhD
programs. This is the kind of information that is available all over the
Internet.
So don't wait for your career center or department to lay out a plan
for you. Actively seek it out from your career center counselors, your
professors, the Internet — and especially from alumni from your
department who are in or graduated from your desired PhD program.
First-hand experiences will almost always trump the knowledge you get
second-hand.
2. A PhD program is not simply a continuation of your undergraduate program.
Many students don't internalize this idea until they have jumped
head-first into a PhD program. The goal is not to complete an assigned
set of courses as in an undergraduate program, but to develop
significant and original research in your area of expertise. You will
have required courses to take, especially if you do not have a master's
degree yet, but these are designed merely to compliment your research
and provide a broad and deep knowledge base to support you in your
research endeavors.
At the end of your PhD program, you will be judged on your research,
not on how well you did in your courses. Grades are not critical as long
as you maintain the minimum GPA requirement, and you should not spend
too much time on courses at the expense of research projects. Graduate
courses tend to be designed to allow you to take away what you will find
useful to your research more than to drill a rigid set of facts and
techniques into your brain.
3. Take a break between your undergraduate education and a PhD program.
You are beginning your senior year of college, and your classmates
are asking you if you are applying to graduate school. You think to
yourself, "Well, I like studying this topic and the associated research,
and I am going to need a PhD if I want to be a professor or do
independent research, so I might as well get it done as soon as
possible." But are you certain about the type of research you want to
do? Do you know where you want to live for the next five years? Are you
prepared to stay in an academic environment for nine years straight?
Many people burn out or end up trudging through their PhD program
without a thought about what lies outside of or beyond it. A break of a
year or two or even more may be necessary to gain perspective. If all
you know is an academic environment, how can you compare it to anything
else? Many people take a job for five or more years before going back to
get their PhD.
It is true though that the longer you stay out of school, the harder
it is to go back to an academic environment with lower pay and a lack of
set work hours. A one-year break will give you six months or so after
graduation before PhD applications are due. A two-year gap might be
ideal to provide time to identify your priorities in life and explore
different areas of research without having school work or a thesis
competing for your attention.
Getting research experience outside of a degree program can help
focus your interests and give you a leg up on the competition when you
finally decide to apply. It can also help you determine whether you will
enjoy full-time research or if you might prefer an alternative career
path that still incorporates science, for example, in policy, consulting
or business — or a hybrid research job that combines scientific and
non-scientific skills.
I will be forever grateful that I chose to do research in a
non-academic environment for a year between my undergraduate and PhD
programs. It gave me the chance to get a feel for doing nothing but
research for a full year. Working at the Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory in the Space Division, I was the manager of
an optics lab, performing spectroscopic experiments on rocks and
minerals placed in a vacuum chamber. While my boss determined the
overall experimental design, I was able to make my own suggestions for
experiments and use my own discretion in how to perform them. I
presented this research at two national conferences as well — a first
for me. I was also able to learn about other research being performed
there, determine which projects excited me the most, and thus narrow
down my criteria for a PhD program.
4. Your current area of study does not dictate what you have to study in graduate school.
You might be studying the function and regulation of membrane
proteins or doing a computational analysis of the conductivity of
different battery designs, but that doesn't mean your PhD project must
revolve around similar projects. The transition between college or
another research job to a PhD program is one of the main transitions in
your life when it is perfectly acceptable to completely change research
areas.
If you are doing computation, you may want to switch to lab-based
work or vice versa. If you are working in biology but have always had an
interest in photonics research, now is the time to try it out. You may
find that you love the alternative research and devote your PhD to it,
you might hate it and fall back on your previous area of study — or you
may even discover a unique topic that incorporates both subjects.
One of the best aspects of the PhD program is that you can make the
research your own. Remember, the answer to the question "Why are you
doing this research?" should not be "Well, because it's what I've been
working on for the past few years already."While my undergraduate
research was in atomic physics, I easily transitioned into applied
physics and materials science for my PhD program and was able to apply
much of what I learned as an undergraduate to my current research. If
you are moving from the sciences to a non-scientific field such as
social sciences or humanities, this advice can still apply, though the
transition is a bit more difficult and more of a permanent commitment.
5. Make sure the PhD program has a variety of research options, and learn about as many research groups as possible in your first year.
Even if you believe you are committed to one research area, you may
find that five years of such work is not quite what you expected. As
such, you should find a PhD program where the professors are not all
working in the same narrowly focused research area. Make sure there are
at least three professors working on an array of topics you could
imagine yourself working on.
In many graduate programs, you are supposed to pick a research
advisor before even starting. But such arrangements often do not work
out, and you may be seeking a new advisor before you know it. That's why
many programs give students one or two semesters to explore different
research areas before choosing a permanent research advisor.
In your first year, you should explore the research of a diverse set
of groups. After touring their labs, talking to the students, or sitting
in on group meetings, you may find that this group is the right one for
you.
In addition, consider the importance of who your research advisor
will be. This will be the person you interact with regularly for five
straight years and who will have a crucial influence on your research.
Do you like their advising style? Does their personality mesh with
yours? Can you get along? Of course, the research your advisor works on
is critical, but if you have large disagreements at every meeting or do
not get helpful advice on how to proceed with your research, you may not
be able to succeed. At the very least, you must be able to handle your
advisor's management of the lab and advising style if you are going to
be productive in your work.
The Harvard program I enrolled in has professors working on research
spanning from nanophotonics to energy materials and biophysics, covering
my wide range of interests. By spending time in labs and offices
informally chatting with graduate students, I found an advisor whose
personality and research interests meshed very well with me. Their
genuine enthusiasm for this advisor and their excitement when talking
about their research was the best input I could have received.
6. Location is more important than you think — but name recognition is not.
At the Asgard Irish Pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Andy Greenspon
talks with fellow graduate students from Harvard and MIT at an Ask for
Evidence workshop organized by Sense About Science. He grew up near Boston and chose to go to graduate school there. (Photo by Alison Bert)
The first consideration in choosing a PhD program should be, "Is there
research at this university that I am passionate about?" After all, you
will have to study this topic in detail for four or more years. But when
considering the location of a university, your first thought should not
be, "I'm going to be in the lab all the time, so what does it matter if
I'm by the beach, in a city, or in the middle of nowhere."
Contrary to popular belief, you will have a life outside of the lab,
and you will have to be able to live with it for four or more years.
Unlike when you were an undergraduate, your social and extracurricular
life will revolve less around the university community, so the
environment of the surrounding area is important. Do you need a city
atmosphere to be productive? Or is your ideal location surrounded by
forests and mountains or by a beach? Is being close to your family
important? Imagine what it will be like living in the area during the
times you are not doing research; consider what activities will you do
and how often will you want to visit family.
While many of the PhD programs that accepted me had research that
truly excited me, the only place I could envision living for five or
more years was Boston, as the city I grew up near and whose environment
and culture I love, and to be close to my family.
While location is more important than you think, the reputation and
prestige of the university is not. In graduate school, the reputation of
the individual department you are joining — and sometimes even the
specific research group you work in — are more important. There, you
will develop research collaborations and professional connections that
will be crucial during your program and beyond. When searching for a job
after graduation, other scientists will look at your specific
department, the people you have worked with and the research you have
done.
7. Those time management skills you developed in college? Develop them further.
After surviving college, you may think you have mastered the ability
to squeeze in your coursework, extracurricular activities and even some
sleep. In a PhD program, time management reaches a whole new level. You
will not only have lectures to attend and homework to do. You will have
to make time for your research, which will include spending extended
periods of time in the lab, analyzing data, and scheduling time with
other students to collaborate on research.
Also, you will most likely have to teach for a number of semesters,
and you will want to attend any seminar that may be related to your
research or that just peaks your interest. To top it all off, you will
still want to do many of those extracurricular activities you did as an
undergraduate. While in the abstract, it may seem simple enough to put
this all into your calendar and stay organized, you will find quickly
enough that the one hour you scheduled for a task might take two or
three hours, putting you behind on everything else for the rest of the
day or forcing you to cut other planned events. Be prepared for
schedules to go awry, and be willing to sacrifice certain activities.
For some, this might be sleep; for others, it might be an
extracurricular activity or a few seminars they were hoping to attend.
In short, don't panic when things don't go according to plan; anticipate
possible delays and be ready to adapt.
8. Expect to learn research skills on the fly – or take advantage of the training your department or career center offers.
This may be the first time you will have to write fellowship or grant
proposals, write scientific papers, attend conferences, present your
research to others, or even peer-review scientific manuscripts. From my
experience, very few college students or even PhD students receive
formal training on how to perform any of these tasks. Usually people
follow by example. But this is not always easy and can be quite
aggravating sometimes. So seek out talks or interactive programs offered
by your department or career center. The effort will be well worth it
when you realize you've become quite adept at quickly and clearly
explaining your research to others and at outlining scientific papers
and grant proposals.
Alternatively, ask a more experienced graduate student or your
advisor for advice on these topics. In addition, be prepared for a
learning curve when learning all the procedures and processes of the
group you end up working in. There may be many new protocols to master,
whether they involve synthesizing chemicals, growing bacterial cells, or
aligning mirrors on an optical table. In addition, the group may use
programming languages or data analysis software you are unfamiliar with.
Don't get discouraged but plan to spend extra effort getting used to
these procedures and systems. After working with them regularly, they
will soon become second nature. When I first started my job at Johns
Hopkins, I felt overwhelmed by all the intricacies of the experiment and
definitely made a few mistakes, including breaking a number of optical
elements. But by the end of my year there, I had written an updated
protocol manual for the modifications I had made to the experimental
procedures and was the "master" passing on my knowledge to the next
person taking the job.
9. There are no real breaks.
In a stereotypical "9-to-5" job, when the workday is over or the
weekend arrives, you can generally forget about your work. And a
vacation provides an even longer respite. But in a PhD program, your
schedule becomes "whenever you find time to get your work done." You
might be in the lab during regular work hours or you might be working
until 10 p.m. or later to finish an experiment. And the only time you
might have available to analyze data might be at 1 a.m. Expect to work
during part of the weekend, too. Graduate students do go on vacations
but might still have to do some data analysis or a literature search
while away.
As a PhD student, it might be hard to stop thinking about the next
step in an experiment or that data sitting on your computer or that
paper you were meaning to start. While I imagine some students can
bifurcate their mind between graduate school life and everything else,
that's quite hard for many of us to do. No matter what, my research lies
somewhere in the back of my head. In short, your schedule is much more
flexible as a PhD student, but as a result, you never truly take a break
from your work.
While this may seem like a downer, remember that you should have
passion for the research you work on (most of the time), so you should
be excited to think up new experiments or different ways to consider
that data you have collected. Even when I'm lying in bed about to fall
asleep, I am sometimes ruminating about aspects of my experiment I could
modify or what information I could do a literature search on to gain
new insights. A PhD program is quite the commitment and rarely lives up
to expectations – but it is well worth the time and effort you will
spend for something that truly excites you.
10 tips to finishing your PhD faster What they don’t always tell you before you sign up for graduate school
By Rodney E. Rohde, PhD | Posted on 23 October 2013
Recently, I came across a very interesting article here by Andy Greenspon, a PhD student in applied physics at Harvard: "9 things you should consider before embarking on a PhD."
I thought Andy gave some fantastic advice, and it reminded me of a
promise I made to myself while working on my PhD. In the wee hours of
the night poring over coursework, informed consent documents, data
analysis, and the umpteenth version of my dissertation, I vowed that if I
ever finished my PhD, I would try to help others through the quicksand
of a graduate school journey.
I hope I can begin to offer some help in the way of this list.
Really, there's much more than I can put in a list of 10 items, so be on
the lookout for more advice to follow.
1. Immerse yourself in writing – and learn how to write a funding proposal.
Some might say this is more important after you finish a PhD. Don't
fall into that trap. Learning how to write a funding proposal is nothing
like writing your dissertation or a typical journal article. However,
all types of funding proposals (federal, state, foundations,
private/corporate, military) may offer you an opportunity to actually
fund your research while working on your PhD. And it may very well be
your best and most attractive resume item to landing a great job. For
example, my professional organization, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science,
offers research grants to conduct graduate research. I was able to fund
most of my research budget by this opportunity. Many other federal
granting agencies, organizations and private foundations will have
funding opportunities that often offer graduate students a vehicle to
fund their research, especially if you are conducting research that is
important to that agency/foundation mission.
2. Find a strong mentor.
I can't stress how important this is. Can it be yourDissertation
chair? Possibly, but find someone that can give you critical feedback on
projects and encouragement. I was fortunate to have several colleagues
in my college that had taken the PhD journey. I surrounded myself with
several of these "PhD veterans," and they were able to help me avoid
hurdles that could have slowed me down. They also were able to provide
the most important thing a grad student might need – understanding and
constant feedback. Think about finding someone that knows how to
motivate you to finish jobs. It might be a colleague or a former
professor. However, it should not be a friend that tells you all things
will be just fine.
3. Grow a thick skin and take critical feedback for what it is – constructive criticism.
It's OK to sulk a bit (we all do when we find out we are not a Nobel
Prize winner in our first year of grad school), but get over it ASAP and
learnfrom these comments. Most professors and advisors have much to
share when it comes to the ins and outs of research design, writing for
publication or finding grants. An old saying I always tell students and
colleagues – "One often remember the toughest teacher the most" – is
true for a reason.
4. Find the right dissertation chair for you.
I always tell new PhD students that the chair of the program may not
be the right choice – or a brand new tenure track professor or the 30+
year professor in the department. Do your research! Do they "graduate"
students in a timely manner, and are they decently well-known in their
research field? Are they collegial?
One way to find a dissertation chair is to do some research via the
internet, or you could talk to current graduate students about
particular professors. The department might also be able to assist you
on finding out the statistics on each professor. For example, I found
out the start to finish time period for a graduate student and the PhD
completion rate under "X" professor. In my personal opinion, you don't
want a rookie professor that's trying to make tenure, and you don't want
the retiring professor that may not be worried about research anymore.
And it's OK if they are tough. If they teach you something and get you
through the process, that's what matters. It's like parenting; they
shouldn't be your friend when they need to be your parent!
5. Direct your course research projects or independent study for course credit towards your dissertation.
This could easily be my number one piece of advice. If you can
conduct literature reviews or pilot research projects in your
preparatory courses towards what you want to do your dissertation on, do
it. This step will help you save time downstream in the dissertation
phase. I turned three independent studies (with future dissertation
committee members) into nine hours of completed doctoral coursework
while also completing much of my first two chapters for the
dissertation. Let me explain how I did this in more detail.
I always knew that I wanted to conduct a dissertation
on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with regard to
the knowledge, learning, and adaptation of individuals who had been
diagnosed with MRSA. So, I went to the department chair of my PhD
program and asked about opportunities to take independent study courses
(electives) that would allow me to build towards conducting my
literature review, pilot study and funding opportunities for my topic.
By the time I reached the proposal stage, I truly had my first two
chapters of my dissertation in good shape.
6. Keep your dissertation topic as narrow as possible.
You may want to save the world, but do you want to spend 10 years on
your PhD? You have a research life after the PhD is done to save the
world. Certainly, if you want to win the Nobel Prize while working on
your dissertation, then go for it, but be prepared for a long
commitment. This is very important.
A narrow topic might seem like you will not have enough data or
things to say. However, the longer I do research, the more often I see
the value in a strong but narrow research design. Seek out active
researchers in your core area of interest and discuss the "needs" of
that research. Is there something missing from the literature? Are there
research questions or hypotheses already being asked that need
answering? These are great ways to narrow your topic and be relevant for
publication.
7. There's a reason 50 percent of PhD candidates stay ABD. ...
Perseverance and finishing the job, in my humble opinion, are the two
most important traits and qualities one needs after coursework is
complete. As I tell my own two children, it's OK to fail but it's not OK
to quit. Set an agenda and schedule with your dissertation chair and be
accountable to it – and keep your chair accountable. I met with my
chair every three weeks during my dissertation and finished in one and a
half years! It can be done. Don't let your chair or yourself off the
hook on this item. Find the time to meet on a set schedule. I typically
would promise my chair that I would have a portion of a chapter done
before our meeting time.
And, don't alienate your chair by emailing them pages to edit the
night before. Always be sure to give them the courtesy of at least a
week of time to review your work prior to your set time. They are very
busy too and it will be more productive if they have time to edit your
pages in advance. Celebrate each hurdle that you clear so that you know
you're are making progress.
8. Focus only on the next step or hurdle as you work.
This can be very difficult – to not stress out about the entire
dissertation journey. It's so easy to become paralyzed by the mountain
of checklists and things to do. This tip follows #7 for a reason. Set
your agenda and schedule, and focus on what is immediately in front of
you. Usually, the first step is forming your committee with a chair. Do
that and celebrate. Then move to the next step, and the next:
- Proposal/research design – check
- IRB (institutional review board) consent – check
- Pilot study – check
- Gather data – check
- Analysis – check
- Write, write, write with a purpose and schedule – check
- Defend – check
- Finish – yes!
9. Find a strong quantitative (or qualitative) research colleague that will assist you with a strong design.
This is a critical decision, and doing it early and correctly will
make your dissertation matter so as not to end up on the shelf. It has
been my experience that most poorly written or non-meaningful
dissertations were a result of the wrong research design. If your
university has a "go-to person" for a quantitative design, seek that
person out. But, don't choose that person to be on your committee or to
assist you if they are primarily a qualitative researcher.
If you are considering a mixed-methods approach, then you might
consider that option. I have a very good friend who is an expert
quantitative researcher that has won multiple funding awards on a
variety of projects across multiple disciplines. He always states that
this is the biggest weakness of dissertations – a poor design. It's a
national problem so don't ignore it. Find help if you need it. Get it right up front, and not only will it help you finish. It will make your work relevant and publish-worthy.
10. Promote your work and talk to others.
This advice may not seem relevant for your dissertation. However, I
would argue that you should do this not only on your campus but to go to
graduate research forums, professional organizations for graduate
research presentation, colleagues in your research area, and other
routes to promote your work. Obviously, in today's world that might mean
a good online blog, too. It can actually lead a solid sounding board
for your research and may lead to job opportunities as you move into the
final stages of your dissertation completion.
Now go do it. Concentrate on each step and see yourself finishing
that step. Success is mostly about hard work and persistence. It's what
separates the "almost finished" from a job well done. Nothing, in my
experience, can take the place of sticktuitiveness. Good luck!
Wednesday 30 October 2013
Cambodia: Education to Receive 20% Boost in 2014 Budget
By Zsombor Peter and Hul Reaksmey - October 29, 2013
The Education Ministry on Monday said it was in line for a near 20
percent hike from the government’s $3.52 billion draft budget for 2014,
approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cabinet on Friday, though other
details of how money was to be allocated remained elusive.
Newly appointed Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said his ministry
was being offered a $335 million budget for next year, up from the $280
million it was budgeted for in 2013.
“We heard the budget increased for education. The budget for 2014
increased…to $335 million,” said Mr. Chuon Naron, who was “happy” with
the plan.
If approved by the National Assembly later this year as expected, it
will represent a 19.6 percent hike in funding for the ministry, which
aid agencies and teachers’ unions have long considered desperately
underfunded. Yet, the funds for education still come in at less than 2
percent of the country’s projected 2014 gross domestic product (GDP)—or
$17.2 billion as projected by the World Bank—a figure unions, aid
donors and even some ministry officials consider far too low.
In August, Education Ministry Secretary of State Nath Bunroeun said
the sector needed at least twice what it was getting, not least of all
to raise paltry teacher salaries.
“If we want to output quality graduates we need quality input, and
that means better trained, better paid teachers,” he said at the time at
a workshop on the ministry’s new five-year plan. “We should be
inputting between 4 and 6 percent [of GDP].”
Critics have also blamed past national budgets for underfunding
social sectors such as education and health in favor of more spending on
security.
The ministries of defense and interior received a combined $400 million in 2013.
Defense Minister General Tea Banh on Monday declined to say what his
ministry was being offered in the draft budget for 2014, but he said it
would not be going up by too much.
“The budget will not increase too much because we just need a bit more [funding] for food,” he said, declining to elaborate.
The government has remained highly secretive about the draft budget
since it passed the prime minister’s Cabinet meeting on Friday.
Officials at other ministries, including those for health and finance, declined to comment on their allocations.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the draft was a
private government document until the Cabinet submitted it to the
National Assembly for ratification, which it was legally bound to do
during the first week of November.
“The draft is not supposed to be in the public hands unless it is
submitted to the National Assembly,” he said. “At this point it is still
government property.”
The opposition, however, regularly accuses Mr. Hun Sen’s government
of making the budget process too opaque and of giving such important
legislation too little time for debate.
“In the National Assembly in some countries they debate [the budget]
for months, but in this country they debate sometimes only two days; it
is not enough,” opposition CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said.
This year, the government is also threatening to pass the budget by
the end of the year whether or not the opposition party takes its seats
at the National Assembly. The CNRP is refusing to take its 55 seats,
nearly half of parliament, to protest July’s flawed national election.
The CNRP says the CPP’s one-party Assembly is illegitimate until its
lawmakers join, and Mr. Sovann said any vote on the budget without them
would be illegal.
In January, the U.S.-based International Budget Partnership gave
Cambodia a score of 15 out of a possible 100 points in its latest open
budget survey. That placed the country in the lowest of five possible
categories for how much budget information it made publicly available:
scant to none.
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