thesis defense at PUP

As said in my previous post, I was in PUP Sta Mesa earlier today. I was with Vito, Tita Dory, Melissa, and Kuya Jun to watch the thesis defense of Raina and Charisse, the undergraduate Chemistry students who worked on their project in IRRI.

I was excited to watch how the two would present the paper, and a bit worried because we haven’t seen the slides. However, I knew that they would do well because the IRRI team assisting them made sure that all bases were covered: that they understood the procedures, the principles behind the procedures, how the machines worked, the significance of their results, and how these related to the conclusion. Raina and Charisse, as early as January, were prepping for their defense by asking intelligent questions, and projecting what the panelists would ask. Plus, their adviser at PUP was also grilling them like a panelist when they were in campus. Basically, the two girls were well-prepared.

When we got to the venue, Raina and Charisse were nervous and went to ask us questions about some of the finer details in their talk. But by the way they were asking, we knew they were ready. Vito and I sat at the back with Kuya Jun (the girls approached us a few times to review some points in their discussion) while Melissa and Tita Dory stayed in the front of the audience ready to take questions from the panelists in case the girls couldn’t answer something from the panel. The support they got was tremendous!

We were happy that they presented their paper with so much confidence… they even went away from the podium to point parts of the graphs and stuff, which was a surprise to us. I was so proud that they were able to discuss the complex results very very well. In Hogwarts terms, they got a grade of "exceeds expectations" (at least from me). All their efforts paid off and they are now looking at a possible nomination for a competition for the Best Thesis Award in PUP!

There are a few things that have to be sorted out and improved on before they go to the competition, though. But those are minor details and missing points, which will be fixed this week. We are so excited!

I now understand the joy of professors and mentors when their wards move on to achieve things. I was a part of the team that helped these kids work on their thesis, and I knew part of the difficulties they faced. Working on equipment that you’ve never learned before is a long and difficult part of the learning curve, and it’s no joke to study it for less than a year.

Looking at thesis work from a different perspective is also good too. I was in the students’ spot a few years back, and I know that it’s really hard. I learned a lot about my field of study and about my limits when I did my thesis. But through helping them out, I learned even more about my study, because they asked such intelligent questions that I got challenged… I was forced to think outside the box a lot.

Aside from all that I’ve learned about myself and my field of study (this is quite deep), I am very thankful to the girls for the token that they’ve given me… a teddy bear! I felt that my birthday came a few months early!. I never expected that!

Congratulations to Raina and Charisse! They’ve done a great job!