Numerous of our family and friends have ask about my progress and when they get to call me Dr. or when I can afford to take my wife out to dinner. So here is the latest update:
The last six months have been full of set backs, rescheduled dates, and experimental reruns which ultimately shattered any hope of a December 2010 graduation. I am currently in the writing process submitting drafts to my committee chair and then rewriting, rewriting, rewriting….you get the picture. In a research based PhD publications are the key and required by the department at WSU (at least 1). They are how your committee and chair get a return on their investment of time and money. In most cases a graduate student finishes their dissertation and then publishes the outcome after graduation or a combination. My committee chair however wants everything that can be published already submitted prior to my defense. The difference between dissertation and publication ready are VAST, as I have found out in the last 4 months.
My PhD dissertation encompasses 4 major chapters (it was 3 until Friday afternoon).
1) Literature Review
2) “Influence of Biochar on Soil pH, Water Holding Capacity, Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamics. ”
3) Characterization of Biochar made from dairy manure fiber and its ability to sequester phosphorus from dairy lagoons
4) The impact of phosphorus recovered from dairy manure using biochar on soil characteristics and crop yield.
Progress: Chapter 1 – 80% complete but will be in revision until defense
Chapter 2 – DONE Accepted to SSSJA
Chapter 3 and 4 – Writing and rewriting
So it boils down to this – we are not setting any dates for my defense BUT it must happen before April 1, 2011 and I will walk in May.
Thanks for the prayers!
Tales From A Poopsmith 