In case you may be concerned that I have fallen off the face of the earth, I’ve been working on my Ph.D. dissertation. But I am emerging from my cocoon now, as yesterday I turned in my dissertation to my committee. (Yes, this has been a long time in coming– cough, cough, nine years, cough…)

My defense is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 1:00 PM. I will give an hour-long public presentation of my research, then my advisor and the four other faculty on my committee will shepherd everyone else out of the room for a closed-door oral examination. If all goes well, they will sign my cover page and I will be a doctor. (No, not that kind of doctor.)

The presentation is open to the public (if you are in Charlottesville, it will be held in the large conference room on the fourth floor of Jordan Hall) but I suspect that unless you’re a structural biologist, you would find it pretty dull. There will be some sort of celebration to take place that week, so stay tuned.