Tag: ProQuest

So Many Wonderful Things!

To state that many wonderful events have taken place since I last posted on this blog would be an understatement. For starters, I have been very busy interviewing for positions with multiple universities around the country. While I’ll save the big news for a moment, I’ve done a lot of traveling since December, I’ve been to Boston, New Jersey, and Texas (on two occasions), in addition to participating in numerous phone interviews.

My dissertation has appeared on ProQuest’s “list of the top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations and Theses across all subjects, based upon total PDF downloads” for a THIRD time (January 2015). This time, it appeared as the 23rd most accessed dissertation in their database! I’m extremely surprised (and delighted) that there appears to be such an interest in it.

My speaking schedule has also been quite busy. Since my two presentations at the CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) Conference last November, I recently presented at the 46th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) in Austin, Texas (on March 14, 2015).

Just to keep me busy, I’m also teaching a course this quarter at UCR. It’s a course for individuals who are becoming special education teachers. So far, it’s been great fun.

The most exciting news, however, is that I’ve just received the final signed contract for an appointment as an assistant professor at a very highly respected (and highly ranked) university near Manhattan (NYC)!!! Although I won’t reveal the name of the university until I actually begin work, I’m absolutely thrilled. In brief, I applied in early February, received a phone interview in early March, and accepted an offer to fly to the university a few weeks later for a series of interviews and a teaching demonstration. From the moment of my initial contact with the university, I was very impressed with all of the interactions and, upon meeting with faculty and administration in person, I was beyond delighted! Indeed, I was struck by the professionalism and knowledge of everyone I met! The faculty seems very cohesive and the administration very supportive, with all expressing a very high level of concern for addressing the needs of students and the university’s programs. I also had the pleasure of meeting with many students (who attended my teaching demonstration). Again, I was very impressed with their astuteness, enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn. Needless to say, my search for a position has ended and I’m looking forward to joining the faculty at a highly esteemed university!

Is My Doctoral Dissertation a Best Seller?

I’ve previously mentioned that my doctoral dissertation appeared as #12 on ProQuest’s for the month of July 2014. Well, it’s happened again! This time, it appears as the 24th most downloaded dissertation for the month of October 2014 (the latest month available)! I’m extremely flattered and honored that so many people are actually interested in it.

Wow! A LOT of People are Actually Reading My Dissertation!

It’s not uncommon to hear academics (and others) whine that no one reads dissertations. Indeed, many complain that one spends years preparing for the dissertation conducting lit reviews, writing the dissertation prospectus, preparing for oral exams, conducting research on an obscure topic, and ultimately spending extraordinary amounts of time writing a book that only a few (primarily the members on the dissertation defense committee) will ever read. While I’m certain that this is the case for many dissertations, I’m thrilled to discover that a LOT of people are reading mine! Indeed, while my dissertation was published in two places (ProQuest and eScholarship.org) just five months ago, I accidentally discovered earlier today that it appears on ProQuest’s “list of the top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations and Theses across all subjects, based upon total PDF downloads” for the month of July 2014! I’m stunned, flabbergasted, and very honored! Currently, Proquest has approximately 3 million dissertations and theses in their online archives and yet mine was one of the most downloaded last month. How or why my dissertation made it to their list is simply a thrill! Furthermore, it’s the only dissertation published this year on ProQuest’s list for July. Hopefully, this is also a sign of good things to come – I just submitted the first article (of potentially several) based on my research to a peer-reviewed journal. Whether or not that will get published remains to be seen.