Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Yesterday afternoon, in my 230pm class, first of all I distributed the rest of their exams for those who did not pass by the department the past few days to get them.

I then showed them how to compute for their midterm grade, which is just the sum of their two tests over the total number of points. The percentage gets converted to their numeric grade just like in their syllabus.

I also posted on the board the details of their next exam, also on Friday next week.

Again, just like with my other classes I told them about the field trip option, which some of them already knew about from the waiver form I gave to one of their classmates last Monday to photocopy.

Last of the announcements before I started the new topic was the mock telescope group work specifications, telling them it will be due sometime next week.

I guess I only used around a third of the class time for that. I was able to give them most of the details about the two types of celestial coordinates systems used. I’ll just give them the examples, the assignment for measuring altitude and azimuth, and the practice for finding right ascension and declination on Friday.

If there’s time afterwards, I’ll already lead in to the mock telescope movements, which is the basis for the two different coordinate systems.

When I got back to the office my thesis advisee called. He said he was still at home printing his paper. I told him about the chairman (of the department and his panel – yes, there is so much they are expecting from him because of that) suggesting that his defense be moved. The chairman was actually looking for his paper right there and then.

The student had no problem with the postponement. I also told him to get in touch with his panelists directly to get their availability, using their class times posted outside the department for reference. That would mean being here for most of one day or two days though, running after them between classes.

As of this time, around 24 hours since we spoke, I still have not received his paper for proofreading. This morning I saw the programming expert among his panelists, in the hallway, and I asked him if the student had already approached him. He said no. I replied that the student would.

I believe that aside from the paper, I’m also supposed to give approval of the software itself before the defense, although in the blanket policies of thesis defense, only the paper is supposed to pass through the adviser. I could hold out signing on the paper (even on the unlikely chance that he’s done all the revisions I’ll ask for correctly) if I’m not satisfied with the program, but that would be a technicality.

There’s also the possibility that giving him suggestions on how to improve his program for use would make it work better and decrease the errors in their predicting of the celestial objects’ positions. That will lead to another addition to his results, analysis and conclusion, but it will decrease the prospect of the panel giving him a failing grade, eventually.

Too many chickens, not enough hatching, or eggs for that matter.