Living in Liminal Space

Ouch!

 
This morning I saw this as I walked to my office. Nearby some young people explained to me that it was a robot sensor, that could be sent into areas that were unsafe for humans and would report on what was there, using a variety of sensors. Several branding markers on the robot indicated that this was a well-supported funded project.

I asked if they were PhD students. They laughed, and said that no, they were researchers (postdocs, I wonder?), but that they had an 'army of PhD students' working on the project. One of them added "Cheap labour", to general merriment.

They're Mad as Hell - Manage Your Career - The Chronicle of Higher Education

By Leonard Cassuto

via chronicle.com

Interesting workshop and symposium

Doctoral writing in the visual and performing arts: Challenges and diversities

Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
17 and 18 November 2011
 
17 November:
A half-day workshop on doctoral writing for research students in the visual and performing arts. This will be led by Professor Brian Paltridge (University of Sydney), Associate Professor Sue Starfield (University of New South Wales) and Associate Professor Louise Ravelli (University of New South Wales).
 
18 November:
A full day symposium on current research and practice in doctoral writing in the visual and performing arts. The opening speaker for the symposium will be Professor Su Baker, Director of the Victorian College of Arts at the University of Melbourne. The closing speaker for the symposium will be Merilyn Fairskye, Associate Professor of Media Arts at the Sydney College of Arts at the University of Sydney.