All Things Research

Within the last week, we have received the news that Matthew is going to be able to graduate with his PhD in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics on May 8th!!! Let us all breathe a long sigh of relief. We had been hoping since early fall that this would indeed be the case, but as research has its ups and downs, we weren't sure coming into this semester if it would be possible. But it is! And we will now be celebrating Matthew's hard work come to fruition in May, and watch him proudly wear those ridiculously ugly robes.

Let me take a few moments to brag on my husband... I just want everyone to know how hard he has worked the last 4 years, because he deserves a little extra dose of "well done". It is VERY rare for a student in his program to graduate in 4 years... I mean about as rare as a Republican in Congress (by the way, well done Mass). There are multiple people in his program who are working on the 5th, 6th, and yes even 7th year (Don't you think at this point, you would just throw in the towel?). Anyway... he has worked so incredibly hard these last 4 years, from challenging classes his first year (comprable to a med student's first year), writing multiple papers, articles, and book chapters, staying at the lab doing experiments until 3 or 4 in the morning, reworking experiments, and literally giving his own blood (which is apparently illegal to do...so shh!), sweat and tears (not really) into his project.

So let's talk about the next two months. In order for Matthew to graduate in May, he has to defend his dissertation publically and privately by March 26th (his is scheduled for March 22nd at 2:00). Not only that, but he has to have his >150 page dissertation finished and handed in to everyone on his committee by two weeks before his defense. Plus he still has a 3rd paper to write and submit to a scientific journal before he can finish writing his own dissertation, not to mention he still has a few experiments left that have to work to write the aforementioned 3rd paper. And then at some point, preparing his talk and studying for his private defense (where they grill him on all things research).

Needless to say, the next two months in the Hardison household are going to be less than thrilling. I am already feeling overwhelmed this semester with my toughest class load yet, while trying be a supportive wife while Matthew tackles this stressful time. I already feel guilty for taking these 20 minutes out of my own study time to post this. Basically... I cannot remember the last time we watched TV. Our poor DVR is suffering from the weight of unwatched shows. We come home, eat, and immediately study..every single night. I'm sorry American Idol, we miss you.

Silver Lining? I'm glad you asked. Once Matthew is done defending, he will be bumped up in pay from a grad student's stipend to a post doc salary... only 13,000 to 15,000 more a year... no big deal! For close friends and family, if you happen to have a day off on March 22nd, we and especially he would appreciate the support!

It will all be worth it come May, when I will proudly watch my husband become Dr. Matthew Hardison, PhD. How cool is that!?