comps
cpikas | August 9, 2009Now that I'm not scared to look at my responses... This one doesn't look so bad, so I'm sharing. Please do keep in mind that this was written in 2 hours, by a tired person, with tired fingers!
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Christina K. Pikas
Comps Information Retrieval (Minor)
July 20, 2009
Question F2: Design an information retrieval system for scientists that covers full-text peer-reviewed articles as well as blogs and wikis
0. Introduction
Today, scientists use more than just the peer-reviewed journal literature in their work, but our information retrieval systems such as our library research databases and…
cpikas | July 20, 2009This was the last day of comps - it's up to waiting for the results. The essays were emailed out to the readers immediately at 4pm when I finished.
This day's questions were much more attractive.
First exam was Information Retrieval - a minor area. I had to pick one of three:
- something about a system to present science so that engineers can use it to make technology?
- design and tell how to evaluate an information retrieval system that has both peer-reviewed scientific literature and blogs and wikis of interest to scientists
- exploratory search, what is it, how to support it, etc
I picked…
cpikas | July 17, 2009Sigh. TGIF and TG I have 2 days free before the next 2. I really felt like I was very, very familiar with these articles but I had a really hard time.
I think when I look back on my response, I'll see it really wanders and doesn't make a good case.
Here are the questions. Choose one of:
- Olson and Olson (2000) Distance matters is a seminal [sic- for feminists, I know] paper. Describe why they said distance matters. There have been a lot of technological advancements since 2000, does distance still matter?
or
- Researchers argue Social network analysis is either a theory base or a…
cpikas | July 16, 2009So this was the dreaded STS. Crap. Good questions, but really, really not sure about my answers. I did have the guts to shush people talking loudly outside the door and they gave me dirty looks. Oh well!
Q 1 choice between:
- relationship btwn science - technology - society. specifically, relationship btwn science and technology, science and society, technology and society... and how does all this influence sci-tech policy
or
- pick some major themes out of current sts research and describe them. say how you can use them in your research
picked the first
Q2 choice between
- what is a…
cpikas | July 15, 2009Communication, a major area, so 4 hours to write 2 essays, in a row, without a break. (sure I could get up and get water, etc., but I didn't want to waste time).
I got there pretty early, which was good. First thing, had to get someone to open the door. The student worker at the desk had no clue what I was asking her. The proctor (the associate dean) came through with keys and asked if I had checked to see that everything was set up - I hadn't because I couldn't get in. She let me in - no computer, no printer. No IT person (she's on vacation this week). Trotted down a couple of flights of…
cpikas | June 29, 2009This is the final in my practice essays before taking the real comps test in the end of July. I need to correct the record, though. Apparently although all of these questions came from my advisor, he didn't write them all. These were ones proposed by committee members and rejected for inclusion in the exam. (the gap in numbers you see are two essays that didn't go well). This particular question might be by my advisor with an ok from the two STS committee members. I didn't have any STS questions to practice with so he came up with this one - which I think is an excellent question.
question:…
cpikas | June 6, 2009This post serves a few purposes. First,
href="http://friendfeed.com/billhooker/ffbe5e1d/secret-science-again-drugmonkey">
Bill Hooker questioned
href="http://scienceblogs.com/drugmonkey/2009/06/secret_science_again.php#comment-1680220">Crotty's
assertion about the importance of patents to university
researchers [*]. Bill also
href="http://www.sennoma.net/main/archives/2009/06/what_use_are_research_patents.php">posted
a nice summary of AUTM's statistics (later in
href="http://scienceblogs.com/drugmonkey/2009/06/secret_science_again.php">DrugMonkey's
comment stream there…
cpikas | June 3, 2009This is the 5th of the test essays in preparation for comps.
This question was posed by my advisor. I opened it
and went, "wow." It's sort of like the perfect storm of question.
When I first finished it, I thought I did really well, but
now it seems less than completely satisfying. So here's the essay written in 2 hours, timer started prior to opening the question.
Question (IR 1)
Informal interpersonal communication is very important among
scientists. Describe a retrieval system to identify collaborators.
Include the following in your answer:
a. Knowledge representation to enhance…
cpikas | June 2, 2009Last set of comps readings, I talked about sense of community:
belonging, having influence, fulfillment of needs, and emotional
support. Now, let's talk about the physics version of
"community" - cohesive subgroups. In a graph, these are
groups of nodes in a graph that are more connected to each other than
to other parts of the graph. Clumpy spots. If you read old
href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30594217">Wasserman and
Faust, you'll probably think of cliques, cores, and lambda
sets... some how these didn't do it for me - literally, when I was
trying to
href="http://terpconnect.…
cpikas | May 31, 2009Sunday morning I was all set to do another essay - just had to pick a
question source and question - when my mother in law called to say she
would be stopping by at about the same time I would be finishing up the
2 hour window, leaving no time for emergency house cleaning (no, I
haven't grown out of that yet despite being married for >10
years). So here are a few readings on "community" which I'll drop like
a hot potato and then run to clean the house.
Both Wellman and Rheingold dispute the idea that we're all "
href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43599073">Bowling Alone"
and assert…
cpikas | May 30, 2009See what a "test essay" is in the introduction to my previous essay.
This is a question another doctoral student was assigned. The question asked for a lot of details, so nothing is covered very thoroughly. I did only minor editing just now, and those edits are marked with [].
The question:
"A large firm is acquiring technology to enhance group work. because of the great expense, management is very concerned about assessing the adoption process at various times over the next two years and taking steps, as necessary to insure its successful adoption within the firm
a) define "successful…
cpikas | May 27, 2009This is the third in a series of test essays I'm doing to prepare for
my comprehensive exams. The questions for these essays come
from 3 places: ones I've made up based on my readings, ones assigned to
previous doctoral students, and ones my advisor makes up based on my
readings. I'm assuming the advisor ones will be closest, but
I don't want to knock them all out in a row - it almost seems like a
waste when part of this is getting the timing right, practicing
writing, and test-taking.
Rules of the road are as follows: closed book, closed internet, all you
have is the question, a…
cpikas | May 24, 2009And now for something a little different. I'm continuing
my preparations for comprehensive exams from my old blog.
There will be some test essays and also some continuing notes
on readings. Typically, I don't mark my notes on readings as
"Research Blogging" because the articles are some what older, and some
of my notes are very brief although they are on peer-reviewed research.
I would be interested in feedback on that - if you think I should mark
them research blogging, let me know!
Quan-Haase, A., & Wellman, B. (2005). Local Virtuality in an
Organization: Implications for Community…