Reflecting on Spring 2021

Spring 2021 was another full pandemic semester for me. Since April, we have a full curfew on the weekends, which really limits our options for going out and getting some fresh air.

Looking at how I spent my time, I can see the following:

• 15% on writing papers
• 14% on teaching
• 13% on this blog and the podcast and developing the “Research in difficult times” course
• 12.5% on service
• 7% on triaging email
• 6% on the journal I manage
• 5% on planning
• 4% on TU Delft related meetings
• 4% on one of my PhD students
• 3.5% on admin
• 3% on TU Delft related teaching
• 3% on learning
• 2% on a research project
• 2% on another PhD student
• various smaller categories

I’m glad that writing is my top category, but overall my time has been quite fractured this semester. I’ve been doing a lot of supervision: currently 6 MSc students in Delft, 1 abroad, 3 PhD students in Delft, and 3 abroad. All of these are supervised by committee, but it still requires quite some time and effort from my side.

Here’s what I achieved this semester:

• Resubmitted 2 papers for review, one of which is already published, and the other of which is awaiting for comments of the editor.
• Submitted 1 conference paper (accepted already) and 3 journal papers (all still in review).
• Got the R2 reviews of one paper back – accepted pending minor revisions (which I will take care of shortly).
• There’s too much in my pipeline – I have 14 (!) papers that I am juggling in various stages of drafting, one of which has been gathering dust since 2018 or so.
• The book about the PhD defense has been approved by reviewers and editors. Yay!
• I acted as chief reviewer (handling editor) for the papers about recent research and structures in Belgium and the Netherlands for the May 2021 issue of Structural Engineering International.
• I obtained my University Teaching Qualification.
• I graduated 1 BSc thesis student and 1 MSc thesis student.
• I attend the TRB annual meeting, the ACI Spring convention, and the eLearning Success Summit.
• After a lingering knee injury and then a clumsy fall which hurt my tailbone, I’m back to some form of an exercise routine.
• I’ve meditated daily for over 365 days and am still going strong.
• I did a fair amount of knitting and taught myself crochet.
• I had a lot of dental work done.
• I joined a wine club and am getting a good bottle every month, and I got a subscription to a flower service.