September 2024 round-up

September was all about going back to schedules and routines, and I have to say that that felt really good. Funnily enough, there’s less fretting about when to do x, when there is less freedom about when x can happen. Plus, September brings (to me) a renewed sense of energy. Maybe it’s the perspective of a new academic year for me (and a new school year for the kiddo – his last), or the realisation that there are around 100 days left of 2024. So, not only does x have to happen, but also y and z.

Good things that happened this September included a concert in London with the kiddo, eating and working in the garden, coffee with S, a visit from the no-longer-teen, the kiddo getting a merit in his John Locke essay, trying new recipes with the kiddo, planning holidays with the no-longer-teen, and feeling listened to by my GP.

As for what happened on the work front, read on.

Research

The “washing machine” team have been busy putting together a grant application, with two business partners, plus a new team member. In addition to being an intellectually stimulating project, it is great to see that our research can also help those struggling to make ends meet.

Writing

I had to ask for a deadline extension for submitting the revisions to one of the papers that I have been working on, which was embarrassing and very frustrating. I also made some, but small, progress on the paper that I started working on at the end of August, and completed a submitted the closing report for the washing machines project.

Ah, I had almost forgotten. I also had a meeting to plan revisions for the ChatGPT paper, and another one to plan a new paper about sentiment analysis.

Teaching

I am teaching a new module this term, which means a lot of extra work. Accordingly, I spent a considerable amount of time, in September, designing the syllabus to minimise overlap with other modules in the programme, planning exercises that provide an intuitive introduction to each topic, setting up the virtual learning environment and, of course, preparing the slides. Luckily, the group is mature and eager to learn. They even engaged with my cheesy metaphors about research philosophy!

I also reviewed a student’s ethical application and moderated a colleague’s module.

Service

I worked on the annual report for SeNSS and reviewed various applications for studentships. I also wrote a couple of reference letters, and reviewed three papers.

On balance, this was not the most productive of months, in terms of output; but I am hopeful for the new semester. 

How was your September?