Finishing Grad School in a Virtual World

The thesis defense is an exciting, stressful, and sometimes elusive event that every graduate student works towards in order to earn their PhD. To finish their doctorate, students write a description of the research performed, and present that dissertation in an oral defense. The defense is a culmination of a graduate school career, giving students the opportunity to share the research that they’ve been devoted to for the past few years. It also allows students to acknowledge the hard work and growth, both on a scientific and personal level, during their training. Not only can students celebrate their achievements with fellow classmates and faculty members who have been present for the whole journey, they can also share their work with family and friends who have always wondered how they spent their time during graduate school. The best part of this fanfare, besides earning a PhD of course, is the party at the end!

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, it became clear that the traditional thesis defense would no longer be possible. Having large groups of people packed into an auditorium just wasn’t safe. Thesis defenses transitioned to a virtual platform, with students presenting their work and conducting the closed-session defense portion with their committee via video conference. There are both pros and cons to having a virtual thesis defense, and two of our staff writers reflect on this unexpected change to the end of their graduate careers. Somdutta is an eighth-year DSRB student who will be defending her thesis in April, and Ernest is a recent DSRB alum who defended his work in October of 2020 .

Somdutta

During my time in graduate school, I have attended my fair share of thesis defenses. I am always impressed by the research, but what strikes me the most was that every person experiences some kind of challenge and then perseveres. This common thread has been an encouraging reminder that, even when finishing graduate school has felt impossible, I too could make it through to the end. I have experienced many failed experiments, long and frustrating days in the lab, and a project change at the end of my fifth year. Despite these struggles, I have made a lot of good memories during my time in graduate school: I grew as a scientist (and made some interesting findings along the way!), spent the last three years writing for the CAMB Student Newsletter, made the wonderful city of Philadelphia my home, and made some life-long friends, without whom I couldn’t have made it this far. To me, the thesis defense has always been more than just finishing and getting a degree; it is a significant milestone in both your career and your life. I couldn’t wait for the day to share my research and celebrate earning a PhD with all my friends and family together.

Initially, when I realized that a traditional defense (and party) would not be in the cards for me, I was disappointed. As nerve-wracking and stressful as the day is, I had always looked forward to it. Not being able to experience that “rite of passage” in person was not what I expected when I started this journey years ago. After the sting of disappointment wore off, I focused on the advantages to a virtual defense day. I can avoid extra nerves from speaking in front of a large group of people, but, perhaps more importantly for me, many of my family and friends who wouldn’t have been able to attend my defense in person will now be able to hear about my thesis work. As my defense draws nearer, I count on these silver-linings to brighten the prospect of defending in this virtual world.

---

---

Dr. Ernest Monahan, above, defending his thesis over BlueJeans.

Ernest

Defending my dissertation during a pandemic was certainly bittersweet. The joy of sharing the accomplishments of years of research with colleagues, family, and friends was undermined by the uncertainty of the circumstances. It was exciting, but also vastly different from what I expected.

The hardest part of the process was preparing for the virtual event itself. It felt surreal that my priorities for the day were making sure that WiFi was consistent, and that the presentation was visible to the audience. In addition, the lack of the traditional formality left a lot to be desired. Hearing the applause of my committee members after the defense was encouraging, but it almost didn’t feel like a culmination. I celebrated with a couple of close friends but not being able to host a larger celebration was unfortunate, and I’m looking forward to celebrating in person with my lab members once it’s safe to do so.

Although some things didn’t live up to expectations, there were surprising benefits to a virtual format. For example, virtual conferencing allowed family members to join in from places as far as Puerto Rico and Egypt, and the recording can be shared in the future with people who couldn’t attend. Also, the chat capabilities allowed attendees who might not have not spoken up at an in-person defense to ask more questions. Finally, defending from the comfort of a room without shoes on was a big highlight!

It is likely that virtual thesis defenses and committee meetings will continue for the foreseeable future. Thinking ahead, I believe that recording thesis defenses will remain a part of the process even after we’ve resumed in-person gatherings. This will increase accessibility for people who can’t physically attend and allow wider dissemination of our work. My advice would be to practice often before the big event, and to have a virtual celebration after. These moments are important milestones and should be celebrated accordingly!