6/16/10: I just returned from a trip out to Ft. Sill to observe PATRIOT training (AIT). It was intoxicating to finally get to put some of these skills I've 'learned' to good use. I feel very privileged to be working for the Army Research Institute and thankful for the Consortium Research Fellows Program - they're my whole summer and it is really a wonderful experience. They've all made so many things possible for me - getting true field and consulting experience, helping connect me to a project where my skills are needed and I can have access to real world data for my dissertation, etc.
More on a professional level: My dissertation proposal is in the works- and it's on individual differences in motivation and self-regulation in training. We'll be looking at two different training groups - traditional and one integrating digital applications. SO EXCITING!
I'll be at the Psychometric Conference in Athens,GA in July presenting some awesome Multidimensional Scaling analyses we're working on, and I'm hoping to finally get a Meta-Analysis to publishable status with another student. I'll be teaching my own class next Fall too (Motivation) and my brain is screaming with ideas.
On a personal level: I'm loving the fact that my work load no longer has classes - I have read over 25 books since class ended in May. I've been reading all about all the things I love - visual thinking, design principles, teaching, assessment strategies in college courses, happiness research, the latest in cognitive research, articles articles and more articles, and even a couple of things for fun.
I'm still personally into the idea of an on-line portfolio here on my site of my project work but haven't found a way I love to integrate it here yet - possibly because I'm too worried about knowing all of my options instead of just DOing it. (Something I've been blogging about a bit - overinformation = paralysis for the improvement and efficiency obsessed like myself).
Finally - I'm traveling a lot and in my off time trying to soak up as much time with my favorite person before he becomes a professor in August. I've been painting here and there and taking photos as well but haven't been posting anything because it's all been about me, him, and our pets lately. BUT my new visual thinking ideas have had me doing basic sketches constantly lately - and they're on my blog now. (Thanks Dan Roam for the final push from simply observing to participating in the movement!)
Life is very good. :)
