首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Postgraduate dilemmas [A] Deciding whether or not to become a postgraduate can be a daunting (令人畏缩的) prospect. Even if you are s
Postgraduate dilemmas [A] Deciding whether or not to become a postgraduate can be a daunting (令人畏缩的) prospect. Even if you are s
admin
2017-06-29
91
问题
Postgraduate dilemmas
[A] Deciding whether or not to become a postgraduate can be a daunting (令人畏缩的) prospect. Even if you are sure you want to press ahead, the chances are you’ll have a list of unanswered questions about the best approach. That’s why New Scientist has asked those in the know to talk frankly about what postgraduate life is really like and how to make the most of it.
How do I choose the right project?
[B] One thing all postgraduates agree on is that you need to be passionate about your research topic if you’re ever going to finish it. Starting off with fire in your belly will give you the best chance of seeing your work through. "During your PhD you will fall in and out of love with your project many times, so it is important to choose something that fascinates you and that you will want to persevere with," says Katherine Reekie, who is in the fourth year of her PhD in genetics at the University of Leicester.
[C] Think, too, about the mode of research, advises Rachel Walker, a second-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge. "You should consider whether the project will require mostly fieldwork or lab work and whether you are happy with this." It is also useful for your project to have some similar aspects to those of other students working in your research group, she says, so that you can help each other out when you get stuck.
[D] Funding availability might influence the exact area you choose to focus on. "Often there will be projects available with funding, waiting for a student to take them up. This was true in my case," says Jonathan du Bois, a PhD graduate from the University of Bristol. If you already have a specific project in mind, shop around for a department or supervisor that is interested in taking you on for that topic. Keep an open mind and spread your search as far as you can to find a university that fits your requirements.
[E] Watch out for projects that are linked to commercial ventures requiring students to sign a contract that limit their ability to publish, or narrowly define the scope of their research. "I know of one horror story where a student obtained funding linked to a project to develop a medical device," says Tristan Farrow, a fourth-year PhD student from the University of Cambridge. "Before he knew it, his hands were tied and he found himself working more on product development than science. His project took seven years and funding was a constant worry."
[F] Finally, don’t think too far ahead; the whole point of research is that you can never be quite sure where it will lead. According to Farrow, defining your research topic down to the smallest detail is like putting the cart before the horse. "PhD projects always evolve and final theses rarely cover the exact topics you thought you signed up for. You should have a clear aim but it’s fine not to know exactly how you’re going to get there," he says. "That’s not to say you should be casual about your choice of research topic, but there’s nothing to be gained by being too prescriptive."
Will I get a job at the end of this?
[G] "The market is worse than it has been for a considerable number of years, so you are not guaranteed
a job," warns Stephen Kennedy, from the pharmaceutical (制药的) giant AstraZeneca, where up to 70 per cent of staff have a PhD. "But having a postgraduate qualification will help you give examples of your strengths and attributes in an interview," he says. You’ll also have good transferable skills that you can take away from science and apply to a totally different area, such as business.
[H] Lorna Crombie, director of Durham-based science recruitment agency CK Science, agrees that postgraduate study can prepare you for employment—as long as you know how to show your new skills in an interview. "You need to be able to go in and tell them what you got out of the course," she says. Focus on abilities like project management or working independently—skills that require discipline.
[I] Kennedy believes it’s these skills that give postgraduates the edge. "They tend to be more active, and have the ability to work autonomously and decisively," he says. "They tend to have a better understanding of the working world than a graduate." Overall, he says, postgraduates are "more likely to hit the ground running", which makes a big impact in the pharmaceutical industry because the sooner new employees are doing their jobs well, the sooner patients receive the benefits. Can I turn my PhD into a business?
[J] Ever been tempted to use a smartphone to lend a helping hand in the pub quiz? If so, then chances are you’ll still be stuck when it comes to the picture round. Now, Mark Cummins, a final-year PhD student working on computer vision at the University of Oxford has found the solution. For the last year, he’s been developing a new company called Plinkart—which has created a visual search engine application for smartphones. "You take a picture of an object with your phone, we recognise the object in the picture and return the relevant information," explains Cummins. For example, you can take a photo of a painting and the Plinkart application will find the relevant Wikipedia article.
[K] Because scientists tend to be good at finding solutions to problems it means that, like Cummins, they often come up with ideas that could work well in a business setting. But does that mean it’s easy to turn your science into a business?
[L] "Scientific training is intellectually rigorous so it is certainly not difficult for scientists to make a switch to business, but a significant shift in mindset is required," says Afua Osei of the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation—part of the University of Oxford’s Said Business School. Instead of focusing on pure scientific discovery, they’ll have to focus on context, applications, market needs and customer behaviour, she says.
[M] Lecturer Davin Yap co-founded his company, Transversal, when he grew fed up with his students at the University of Cambridge emailing him masses of questions. He produced a piece of computer software which allows users to submit questions—in their own words—which the computer will understand and provide an answer to. His clients now include the Royal Mail and BBC iPlayer, but how confident was he that it would succeed at the start?
[N] "Blindly confident," Yap says. "It’s essential that you just get on with it. You’ll soon recognise what’s lacking and find ways to fill the gaps but only if you’re ’doing’ rather than ’thinking’."
[O] Cummins couldn’t agree more. "Intellectually, we were well aware that a high percentage of start-up companies fail but, almost by definition, start-up founders believe that that doesn’t apply to their idea," Nonetheless, the risk of failure is still real and "it’s a huge commitment of time, effort and personal savings," he says. However, the biggest investment is probably the opportunity cost: "Initiating a startup means not doing a postdoc or taking a well-paid job. Some people manage to combine a start-up with a postdoc, but it’s very difficult, especially because many universities now claim ownership of any intellectual property you develop during your research."
A lecturer created a piece of software, making it possible for users to submit questions to and get answers from a computer.
选项
答案
M
解析
根据lecturer,software,submit questions,answers和computer定位到M段。该段说的是一名讲师受够了学生发邮件来提出大量问题,于是创作了一个电脑软件,使电脑明白用户提交的问题,并提供解答。本题句子是原文的同义表达。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/sVU7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Bloggingisapastimeformany,evenalivelihoodforafew.Forsome,itbecomesanobsession(着迷,使人痴迷的事物).Suchbloggersoften
WhenanexpectantmomregularlyeatshermealsinfrontoftheTV,chancesareshe’llcontinuethathabitduringherbaby’sfeed
Ahappymarriageapparentlyisgoodmedicine,buthostilespousesmay【B1】______oneanother’shealthCouplesinconflict-ridden
A、Amancarefulwithmoney.B、Abook-lover.C、Anoisyreader.D、Atrouble-maker.A选项描述的是男士的特点,从他两次提及pay,可见花钱很谨慎,故A正确。B、D从原文内容无法推
A、Ithasbeenthebestsellerforweeks.B、Itadvisespeopletochangethemselves.C、Itisbeingsoldataverylowprice.D、Itd
TheAmericantraditionalpatternofclassroomexperienceatthecollegelevelbringstheprofessorandagroupof20-30students
WhatisAprilFoolsDayandwhatareitsorigins?Itis【B1】______believedthatinmedievalFrance,NewYearwascelebratedon1
A、Dead.B、Worse.C、Better.D、Unclear.C细节题。短文在末尾说谈论以前的那种乡村生活没有意义(thereisnopoint),最后一句对现在的生活做了一个总结"Itisjustlife,andabette
A、SouthAfrica.B、EasternRussia.C、India.D、Congo.C短文说,最早的已知钻石于几个世纪前在印度被发现。所以C正确。选项都是国家或地区的名称,猜测题目可能问地点。边听边做笔记,把听到的国家或地区所出现的情况
A、Jones.B、Smith.C、Campbell.D、Webber.B录音开头提到,已有研究表明姓氏的分布有一定的地域性。接着举例说史密斯(Smith)是目前不列颠最常见的姓氏,拥有大约50万左右的人口。由此得出B项正确。A项“琼斯”是英国的第
随机试题
A.泻白散合黛蛤散B.龙胆泻肝汤C.二者均是D.二者均非(2004年第109,110题)吐血色红或紫暗,口苫胁痛,心烦易怒,寐少梦多,舌质红绛,脉弦数。治疗宜选()
青霉素类药物使用方法错误的是
Speath术后浅前房分级法一级为下列哪种结构接触角膜内皮
关于腹直肌的描述,不正确的是
A.完全替代完成B.部分替代完成C.鼓励自行完成D.指导完成E.推迟完成病人杨某在全麻下行二尖瓣置换术后第3天,现各导管已经拔除,病人的口腔清洁应
某大型书展活动,协办方为某展览中心,预计参加人数为3000人,该公司的下列做法中,不符合《中华人民共和国消防法》的是()。
该企业违反了何种法律规范?()该企业原从事统计工作的人员欲取得统计从业资格,必须要通过什么科目的考试?()
人类最早的洞窟壁画是指法国的________和西班牙的________。
Isthereanypenaltyifhemakesearlyrepayment,andhowearly?
SomeTheoriesofHistoryI.TheproblemsofunderstandinghistoryHistorywithwrittenrecords:therecordsmaybe【B1】_____
最新回复
(
0
)