Back in March I applied to present at a big conference this fall. They said they'd let us know by the end of July, and when I didn't get a response I assumed I'd been rejected. But the program for the event arrived in my mailbox, and there was my name in the list of speakers. I am in the middle of finding out why I was never notified, but it looks like I'm giving a talk in one of my favorite cities later this fall. How about that?
Something I didn't know until I started grad school for the second time: any research project involving human subjects requires the approval of a university's Institutional Review Board. This is intended to ensure that research is conducted ethically and that participants' rights are protected. You can do a study where you stick needles in people's eyes, as long as you make sure that it's really truly okay with them and that the benefits outweigh the risks. The IRB will ask, Is this needle-sticking for the betterment of humanity? Is there a less invasive way to get the same information? Are these subjects going to sue the university after the needles are pulled out of their eyes and they have a chance to say, ICK that was really awful?
After I met with my committee in June, I began the process of seeking IRB approval for my preliminary research project. It has been much slower than I anticipated. I am only asking people to complete a questionnaire -- no needles involved -- but it has dragged on and on. Today, finally, I got an email: formal approval is on its way! At long last, I can start collecting data.
I am a little, just a little, ambivalent about both of these things, actually. I have had this little baby idea for a study for years now -- what if I'm wrong? What if I embarrass myself at the conference, spewing misinformation into the room while both of the people who decided to attend the session roll their eyes at each other? I suppose I know the answers to those questions: the reason we do research is to see if our pet ideas are right or wrong. And life goes on after embarrassments. Right? I'm trying not to let my anxiety get the better of me. This is what I'm going back to school for: to learn to do research, and to share new ideas with other people. Here goes, I guess.
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