Grad student research paper woes

So - what do you do when you review a paper written by a grad student that looks like it was thrown together just to get something together? The throwing together part should have been done by the end of the summer. And the student complains about the project and to me seems like he's doing this just to jump through the hoops. It's a non-thesis project. And my boss is the advisor and is the one who tried (I think) to spur the student on to get stuff done. But now I'm editing the paper which is work to fulfill a grant that was over in Sept., so we have to get the paper together by the end of Dec. The paper is more like an outline of what to write. And I kept telling the student to keep track of all the data manipulations b/c they'll have to be documented - I doubt he has - it's not in the 'paper.' For every part I'm saying expand on this, and on the front wrote 'great start, I had to rewrite my 1st thesis draft too.' Criminy. If he at least didn't complain about everything it would be an easier pill to swallow that he struggles with writing. So I guess I can't do anything but say expand on this. How do you profs deal with students???

Leaf raking ponderings - catch them if you can

Doesn't it seem silly to have to catch all the leaves from a tree and move them elsewhere???? [regardless of where they go - compost or landfill (even worse)] Who thought of this and why??? The english royalty with their nice green monoculture grass yards kept by sheep? I mean - look at all the trees out there in residential neighborhoods - ALL those leaves from ALL those trees have to be caught. Well, I'm saying no to raking. Keeping my back yard in pristine grass is futile because of the dogs which made me explore breaking away from societal yard expectations. Now my yard feels and smells like a little forest with all the leaves from my 5 big trees. I love it! And the front yard - well if no one raked and no one kept unnatural grass but let it go to whatever goundcover creeps in on its own, then no one would be keeping up with each other in futile lawn care. What a waste of resources (oil for both lawnmowers and fertilizers). And it all comes back to how silly it seems to me to have to catch all those leaves from all those trees and move them to somewhere else.

Cruel and Unusual

We do oral exams for our graduation biology seniors during finals week. It is cruel. It is unusual at lease in my experience. It is annoying (it's hard enough to write and grade all of my other finals and papers without giving trying to schedule eight individual finals). It is particularly annoying when students don't do well.

I really really like them. Does that make me a bad person?

The Flood

In Lawrence, I have not heard of any wide-spread flooding like there has been in Topeka and Parksville, Mo. Over the weekend, it was estimated that Topeka got 8 - 10 inches of rain. 8-10!!!! In Lawrence we received a more modest 3.75 inches in 24 hours. No massive floods but the river is sure was full.

It was a party down at the levee. Steve was amazed at how many people were there to gawk at the river (including me!).

Evidence that I am a nerd. As I was pulling weeds last night I was excited to see this plant.


Carex blanda, a species I did some work on with Helen last year. No smut on it, but I am going to keep my eye out.

Cheaters, Bricks and other Banes

I want to write a real post about my garden, but I must make a general reminder to the whole world: adult humans have more than 10 cells; staying late at a practical and writing down exactly what the professor writes as she makes the key is both silly and unethical (some call it "cheating"); when there are over 780 points in the class (and you have already been given points for turning in your pre-test, post-test, knowing that birds have feathers and showing the last day of class) an 88.5 is not all that close to an A and I won't give it to you; if you write a project proposal saying that you are going to write a "lengthy paper" and compare 3 things, it shouldn't be three pages comparing two things; and, last but not least, ZEBRAS are not well adapted to the tundra lifestyle, despite what a student apparently thinks.

Car AND dog wash

I just had to share this with you guys. Maybe it's a brilliant idea -- I just think it's hilarious.

I'm glad they don't wash the car and the dog in the same assemblage. I don't think a dog would like a rolling windscreen scrubber going up its nose!
Just tie the leash to the bumper and go on through!