This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

President of Yemen looks a little down, one month after a personal bomb attack.

Egypt is on the move.

U.S. debt ceiling talk wanes. Check out what swing state voters are saying.

Libyan rebels are onto Gaddafi’s trails.

China goes to great lengths again! (in architecture at least).

Google+, Apple, Twitter, and Facebook, oh my! Are you ready for the social media war?

It's her turn to hold the mic

Child abduction happens far too often in the USA.

We see the names and faces of victims in the media.  On rare and fortunate occasions, someone returns safely home.

But on how many survivors would chose to return in the heat of the spotlight after such an ordeal?

Yesterday, news broke that child abduction and sex crime survivor Elizabeth Smart will become an ABC News commentator. ABC spokeswoman Julie Townsend stated:

“We think she’ll help our viewers better understand missing persons stories… This is someone with the perspective to know what a family experiences when a loved one goes missing.”

Many are questioning the twenty-three year old’s qualifications for the influential position.

An outspoken Mormon, she has traveled to France as a missionary, using her abduction experience to exemplify her beliefs.

The journal Smart was forced to keep during those dark nine months in captivity, contains passages in French. She will graduate from Brigham Young University in Utah next year with a major in harp performance.

John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted, has aided in finding dozens of missing children including Smart.

Elizabeth’s new media role appears to be continuing to promote the cause of missing and exploited children while paving the way for survivors to become empowered.

Sounds like Smart’s new job could be a smart move for ABC.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Reflection

Washing dishing, taking out the trash, cleaning our room. These can all be chores we do grudgingly or things we do gladly and with care for others. The same actions can be vastly different based what our hearts are like. In this letter to the Corinthians, Paul lays out the heart and motivation that should underlie the things we do, especially in the context of the church community. Love should be at the core and Paul elaborates the characteristics that love expresses.

Responding to the Transmission

Read the passage again, not as a checklist of good things to do, but with the heart that wants to be aligned to each expression of love. Even as we fall short in many areas, let’s humbly ask God to grow us in this love and service toward others.