So, this weekend, I realized a few things that impact my graduate school experience. The first is that, on the application to Oregon State University I indicated that I would be completing a master of science degree. The second is that I was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship because I indicated that I would be completing a master of science degree. The third is that, once one accepts department funding, one cannot switch from a master of science degree to the master of engineering degree except in extraordinary circumstances as deemed by the head of the school of civil and construction engineering. The fourth is that, as far as I know, those supported by graduate funding must produce a research thesis as part of their graduate work. The fifth is that graduate students cannot walk for graduation until they have completed all the requirements for their degree. So, it looks like I'm going to be writing a thesis and walking (if I choose to do so at all) in June of 2013.
To tell you the truth, I'm not terribly upset about having to write a thesis. I'm good at writing and I've been contemplating a career in academia, for which the research of the master of science degree is a good springboard. (I've already thought about going to the University of Texas at Austin or Georgia Tech for a Ph.D., but that's far enough away that I'm not going to be too concerned with it.) The only things that worry me are how long it's going to take and how it's all going to be paid for. Before I had this series of epiphanies over the weekend, I was thinking that I was going to be able to finish up a master's degree in about December of 2012, after the end of the fall 2012 quarter. With additional time for research, I may be looking more at March 2013, after winter quarter, or even June 2013, after spring quarter. It's still possible that I could finish in December of '12, but the combined responsibilities of coursework, working 20 hours a week as a teaching assistant, and performing independent research all at the same time rather daunting. I'll have to talk to my professors and advisers as the time draws nearer, but for now, it looks like I'll be finishing in the 1st half of 2013. Also, money is always an issue. I'll be going to Oregon State because I was following the money and my thesis will also be a product of where the money takes me. If I can get funding for a particular project or interest, I will doing research in that area, even if it's not my first choice of research.
Speaking of my first choice of research, I should explain the title of this blag post. I would like to do research with soils in western Oregon under loading from a megathrust earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone. This seems incredibly relevant, since a megathrust quake is exactly what happened off the east coast of Japan in early March that threw the entire nation into turmoil. The Cascadia subduction zone occurs as the Juan de Fuca plate is forced beneath the North American plate just off the coast of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. A similar earthquake and/or tsunami would have a devastating effect on the whole west coast, and it is in this vein that I hope to perform my research. Considering the circumstances, I would think that there would be funding for this project in the near future, but in order for me to get any of this funding, it would almost undoubtedly have to be a joint effort with Dr. Scott Ashford at Oregon State and several of his graduate students; I cannot spearhead this research by myself. It's also possible that it could take several years for funding to appear for such projects even though the consequences of an imminent megathrust earthquake would be devastating. Bureaucracies of any sort may take years longer than I have at Oregon State to approve their various Byzantine budgets. At this point, I don't know if I will get my first choice in research, but it's at least worth a shot.
I don't know whether my commencement for Oregon State will be on the 8th of June or the 15th of June, but it should be one of those two. Anyone who reads this and actually knows who I am is invited.
At this point, I'm excited about the prospect of being able to produce a thesis and get the master of science degree. The devil is in the details, however, and how I feel about it in a year will heavily depend on what happens in that mean time. For now, I'm just going to try to get started with the MS, even if I don't have perfect foresight of exactly how I'm going to finish it.
Let's go Beavers!
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