WIR-004

WIR-004: [09-28-25.10-4-25]

Previous Week’s Action Items

• Action Items
  • 1. [PhD] Send 10+ emails to potential PIs + schedule 1+ meeting; upload proof to blog
  • 2. [PhD] Plan 1+ potential in-person research presentation; upload proof to blog*

A.1

A.2

• To clarify, the primary motivation for presenting our work would be to buttress my PhD applications this fall – to have another bullet point on my CV. I did find options, even on such short notice. — is a hydrology-related conference to be held in — this November, with an Oct. 8 submission deadline. Another option was to rush out a — tutorial by Oct. 6. However, after looking through previous year’s submissions, I decided against throwing together some last-minute junk; slip-shod work just isn’t my MO at this point. My co-authors and I will submit our work when it’s ready, and likely several months from now.

WIR

Tags
[RSR] – research
[TA]  – TA responsibilities
[ACA] – academics/schoolwork
[LOG] – logistics/chores
[PhD] – PhD applications

[09-28-25]

• Work Completed
  • [LOG] CSSA weekly newsletter
  • [PhD] create all application portal accounts
  • [ACA] create COMP790.183 final project proposal presentation

[09-29-25]

• Classes
  • 2.5 hrs
• Work Completed
  • [LOG] calendar updates
  • [LOG] schedule send weekly newsletter
  • [ACA] COMP790.173 async lecture + paper reviews
  • [ACA] complete COMP790.183 presentation

[09-30-25]

• Classes
  • 2.5 hrs
• Meetings
  • 2.0 hrs
• Work Completed
  • [TA] grade all assignments
  • [LOG] assorted emails

[10-01-25]

• Classes
  • 2.5 hrs
• Work Completed
  • [LOG]: email: (x5) PIs
  • [LOG]: update calendar

[10-02-25]

• Classes
  • 2.5 hrs
• Meetings
  • Work Completed
    • [ACA]: COMP790.150 HW 1/2

[10-03-25]

• Office hours
  • 4.0 hrs
• Work Completed
  • [ACA]: COMP790.150 HW 2/2
  • [LOG]: emails/insurance/scheduling
  • [PhD]: general-purpose SOD draft #2

[10-04-25]

• Work Completed
  • [LOG]: email: (x5) PIs
  • [PhD]: skim many different labs

Concluding Remarks

So much of what we think is, feel is, productive turns out to be totally impossible to quantify – and is therefore likely unproductive. This weekly exercise is painful. Invariably I find myself asking: “is that all I did this week?” Next week I aim to send a little more time doing research, with a primary focus on conducting a solid literature review.

• Action Items
  • 1. [RSR] create an annotated bibliography of 20+ articles; upload latex document to blog
    • Breadth > depth; 1-2 sentence description per source
  • 2. [RSR] in-depth breakdown of the most salient source (i.e., 1 paper) reviewed in D.1; upload to blog
    • Depth > breadth
  • 3. [RSR] join/create a paper club; post proof to blog
  • 4. [LOG] brainstorm: (x3) ideas regarding how I can send my summer 26’; post to blgo

Until next week 👋