GOOD NEWS! There are lots of different ways to do science. I like to tinker with/build stuff. After over two years of banging my head against a wall, another of my inventions, one I really wanted, is finally working!!!!!
BAD NEWS! Its only working at ~33% of capacity. I want 100%.
GOOD NEWS! I know how to fix it!
BAD NEWS! Its going to take me a couple months to fix it :(
GOOD NEWS! The idea has finally graduated from 'thats a neat concept...' to 'holy crap it actually works'. So its going to get patented, and I get a cut. YAY!
BAD NEWS! I am never going to graduate. Ever. I am too busy to write the goddamn dissertation. I got cool science to do, dammit!!! DO NOT WANT WRITE. *fume*
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Congratulations - very pleased for you that your hard work has borne fruit - keep up the good work!
What does your invention do?
#2: If she tells you, she can't patent it.
And BTW, Abbie: get a move on with the patent application. Come March, the rules change and you could be aced out of the patent.
As for the dissertation, just remember that science is a toilet: you're not finished until you do the paperwork.
That sounds amazing. I hope we can hear all about it soon.
My graduate school mentor used to say "Never written, never done". Get writing!
By now you should have some papers written up, and maybe even a couple of them published. Typically, you can base a thesis chapter on each of those papers, leaving you just an introduction and a concluding remarks chapter to write. That's how US physics departments usually operate, and I don't know of any reason why biology departments would be significantly different.
Swedish physics departments take this to an extreme: you write an introductory chapter, and append your (typically) five or so papers, verbatim. But even if you have to insert some paraphrasing and bridge paragraphs, you probably have a good fraction of the thesis already written.
If you have one or two more experiments for the thesis that haven't been written up yet, then do the paper writing and thesis writing in parallel. As I said, there is usually a significant overlap.
Awesome stuff, Abbie. I saw the video Integralmath posted... admittedly, it was the PZ Myers bashing in the title that got me in, but the news that you are getting a cut of the patent rights is absolutely brilliant!
Brava.
Do you use a middle initial on papers? Would like a little help finding your publications among all the other A. Smiths.
#3: That's not really how patents work in this country. Patents here are "first to invent," not "first to file" as I understand it is in some European countries. Though it might not be a great idea, Abbie could certainly tell everyone about her invention and then go ahead and get patent protection.