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ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post
Your Physics Thesis Defense
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
Your Physics Thesis Defense
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around experiences and advice related to preparing for a physics thesis defense. It includes anecdotes, humorous remarks, and reflections on the challenges faced during the defense process, with a focus on both the preparation and the nature of questions that may arise.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Conceptual clarification
- Debate/contested
- Meta-discussion
Main Points Raised
- Some participants suggest that thorough preparation is crucial for a successful thesis defense, with one noting that publishing significant research can ease the process.
- Humor is employed in the discussion, particularly regarding the "snake fight" metaphor, which some participants interpret as a joke about unexpected challenges during the defense.
- Anecdotes are shared about past thesis defenses, including varying experiences with difficult questions and the importance of understanding the specific expectations of one's university.
- One participant reflects on the potential impact of past interactions with faculty members on the defense experience, emphasizing the need to navigate relationships carefully.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a mix of humorous and serious perspectives on the thesis defense, with no consensus on the interpretation of the "snake fight" metaphor or the best strategies for preparation. The discussion remains open-ended with various viewpoints presented.
Contextual Notes
Participants reference different experiences and expectations from various universities, indicating that the rules and nature of thesis defenses can vary significantly.
Who May Find This Useful
Graduate students preparing for their thesis defense, faculty members involved in the defense process, and those interested in the cultural aspects of academic defenses may find this discussion relevant.
- #2
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Solid advice here.
- #3
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Don't forget to prep for the snake fight portion of your PhD defense. That's the part that often comes back to bite you 
- #4
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My advice: publish three Phys Rev Letters and your thesis defense will be more like a victory lap.
- #5
ShayanJ
Science Advisor
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Could you explain which part of the thesis defense that's supposed to refer to?Ygggdrasil said:Don't forget to prep for the snake fight portion of your PhD defense. That's the part that often comes back to bite you
P.S.
Thanks for the good advices Zapper.
- #6
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Shyan said:
Does your university not require you to fight a snake in order to graduate?
it's a joke[/color]
- #7
ShayanJ
Science Advisor
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Ohh...I thought its a metaphor for some actual phenomenon. I'm an undergrad.Ygggdrasil said:Does your university not require you to fight a snake in order to graduate?
it's a joke
- #8
DEvens
Homework Helper
Education Advisor
Gold Member
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There are old stories passed around among grad students about the monster PhD oral defense.
The nice one is from Cliff Stoll, the author of this.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416507787/?tag=pfamazon01-20
In his PhD defense they asked him to explain why the sky was blue. And they kept asking him "can you be more specific?" until he had led his committee through a very long explanation of scattering and molecular energies and cross sections and visible light and optics and the character of the human eye. Which was really all on topic for a visible light astronomer. After he was done he was exhausted but very happy. And he passed.
The not nice story involves a candidate being asked to estimate the number of barbers in Canada. There are multiple endings to that story. In one ending the candidate refused on the basis it had nothing to do with his thesis. Part A has him being failed for refusing. Part B has him being passed because it was unrelated to his thesis. Part C has him making an estimate, which was wildly wrong but showed a reasonable attempt to get an order of magnitude, and the candidate passing.
So you should be sure you understand the rules for your defense. And these are different from one school to the next.
The nice one is from Cliff Stoll, the author of this.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416507787/?tag=pfamazon01-20
In his PhD defense they asked him to explain why the sky was blue. And they kept asking him "can you be more specific?" until he had led his committee through a very long explanation of scattering and molecular energies and cross sections and visible light and optics and the character of the human eye. Which was really all on topic for a visible light astronomer. After he was done he was exhausted but very happy. And he passed.
The not nice story involves a candidate being asked to estimate the number of barbers in Canada. There are multiple endings to that story. In one ending the candidate refused on the basis it had nothing to do with his thesis. Part A has him being failed for refusing. Part B has him being passed because it was unrelated to his thesis. Part C has him making an estimate, which was wildly wrong but showed a reasonable attempt to get an order of magnitude, and the candidate passing.
So you should be sure you understand the rules for your defense. And these are different from one school to the next.
Last edited by a moderator:
- #9
gleem
Science Advisor
Education Advisor
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One can say that preparing for your defense begins the day you enter the graduate program. In particular you do not want a faculty member on your board with whom you have crossed swords at some time. In reflecting on my defense and @DEvens post I may have dodged a bullet ( or a snake) having made a more or less public criticism of the teaching ability of a faculty member in my first year. Luckily he was either not selected, never got wind of it, forgot about it or was a mensch about it for he did not sit in on my defense.
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