The land of DICs

Of course, the primary motive for my stay here in London is to be at Imperial. Alongside all the excitement that Europe's largest capital has to offer, I am here to complete a Ph.D. in one of the world's best learning centres; actually a few weeks ago, Imperial was ranked 5th best University in the world for research...and that is exactly what I am doing here...so it is quite an honour, really!

It is quite exciting to be back at Imperial at this point in time, especially knowing that my adventure here will stretch as far as 2012, when London will host the Olympic games. Despite the unfavourable economic climate which is still lingering on, the city is bubbling with activity related to my field: improvements to infrastructure and construction of new buildings, including a few landmarks which will alter the skyline in a few years. However, I am rather detached from industry for the time being and am more concerned with research, which is what a Ph.D. is all about.

I actually do not know how to classify myself at this time. I mean, in my M.Sc. days, I was 100% student: attending lectures, taking notes, sitting for exams, doing projects....things have now changed: (a) I get to sit in an office, albeit an open-plan one, but then again, we all live in the post-Corbusier era and no one gets the privilege of having a private office any more, unless you happen to be either a senior lecturer or a totally unsociable person; (b) I get my own workstation (albeit still not delivered yet); (c) I get to use the common room in the department (more on that later on); (d) I get to have lunch in the senior common room, where students are not allowed; (e) I even get to do tutorials (again, more on that later on). So it feels like I am "staff". But, then again, I am learning, reading, doing literature reviews and eventually will be doing lab work, writing papers and reporting to my supervisor. So I am "student" after all.

Case in point: Freshers' Week. During my first week here, one of my friends from Malta accused me of not being fit for Freshers' Week. Well, this is partially true: I am not an Imperial fresher and I do not really need all the campus maps, knowledge of whereabouts of Imperial Union, societies and clubs etc., but I am a Ph.D. fresher - this is a new experience for me! And you get lots of goodies from the stands: pens, pencils, notebooks, calendars, mouse pads, SIM cards, T shirts and condoms (not that I need those really!)

Back to business: (a) My desk is in Room 223, a Level 2 office as the name suggests, which is convenient: not too many stairs, just next door to a fire exit (handy in case of emergency and/or the fire drills which the Brits are obsessed with) and also to a male restroom (convenient for different kinds of emergencies). The office is dominated by Italians (3 No.), which is good since I get to practice my Italian often! Then there are 4 Brits, 1 Irish, 1 Spanish and 1 Portuguese...I love the multi-cultural facet of London!

(b) I still do not have my own machine, but this is on its way. A beast: a 2.6 GHz quad core processor, 8 GB RAM and 500 GB HDD, complete with 19" TFT. Combined with the super-fast Imperial Internet connection: pure bliss.

(c) Occasionally, I pay a visit to the department common room, simply for water/tea/coffee and a chat. But this deserves some comment. Like in all workplaces, there is free water provided; it is a basic human right that people are provided with free drinking water. But this is England; water does not suffice. You also get free tea! What working condition would that be if you did not have tea! It is expected! But when it comes to coffee - you have to pay 50p for that. Good quality, freshly ground coffee, but, unlike tea, you pay for it. It has to be only-in-england.com!

(d) The senior common room provides good food for lunch, everyday with a different menu, for just under £4. And quite good value for money: decently sized portions including vegetables and bottomless drinks, which means that I do not bother waking up early to prepare lunch and again do not think of food again until 7pm or so, when all I have is a light supper (all part of my health-conscious living!)

(e) Doing tutorials is possibly the most exciting part of the Ph.D. to date (given that "all" I have been doing so far is lots of textbook and journal paper reading and revision). Four times a week, I get to assist lecturers in doing tutorials for undergraduates and postgraduates, which means that, in addition to some money-making, I get to revise all of the basic structural mechanics and analysis which I had long-forgotten since my undergraduate days! More importantly, I am getting used to the classroom environment and the not-so-easy practice of translating whatever knowledge I have after almost a decade of structural engineering to simple, straightforward engineering talk which 1st years can understand without difficulty and (hopefully) remember always.

That was QUITE a longish post, especially when I remember that I have been at Imperial for only a month, but I tend to get carried away! Apologies. But please understand that trying to describe what goes on in the world's #5 university does deserve a lot of talk! And much more of that is to follow! So, long live Imperial!