First lecture – ever
This month marked another milestone in my PhD learning process - I had my first ever lecture. Of course I was scared, of course I was nervous, but I do think it was a very valuable experience.Here's what I learned:1.…
A setup for half-scale slab shear experiments
Last week, I describe the general ideas behind testing a slab with just one steel plate while in reality cars and trucks in many different varieties are loading the structure. I'll now be going into detail on a few particularities…
Finding time for writing
About a year ago, I wrote about decisions and priorities, and I referred to the urgent-important matrix which can help you prioritize your tasks. My top priority is writing my thesis and getting my doctoral degree - but it seems…
The PhD Movie
If you're a PhD student, you certainly know PhD Comics. Equally funny, there is the PhD Movie. Yesterday, a screening was held on our campus by Promood, and as a fan of the comics, I simply had to go and…
Using the iPhone to battle insomnia
Insomnia is an old friend of mine. As a child, I would get out of bed in the middle of the night and knock my parents' bedroom door to let them know that I couldn't sleep. (And typically my mom…
From real traffic on a bridge to a square steel plate
Often, when people look at my experiments and my test setup, they are confused when I tell them that I am studying a bridge under traffic loads. How can a little steel plate of 300mm x 300mm or 200mm x…
The writer’s little helper
Even though I have frequently seen #phdchat community members mentioning how useful they find 750words, I never really gave it a try. I thought it would be totally the same as writing longhand in a diary, which I try to…
Contents of my job
The idea I used to have of a PhD student, is of someone who spends endless hours behind his computer, focused on one single task. The reality turned out to be rather different for me: hardly ever I get to…
A new world of work for scientists
Last week, I went to visit two companies where the concept of "a new world of work" (het nieuwe werken in Dutch) has been implemented. Although I am always eager to try out new ways of working and new productivity…
Doing a PhD: is it work or school?
I'm often confronted with the question what a PhD actually is: is it going to school or is it having a research job? Explaining people that it is somewhere in between both seems to be a rather unsatisfying answer, while…