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American Society of Agronomy
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Contact: Hanna Jeske, Associate Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, 608-268-3972, hjeske@sciencesocieties.org

PhD comics author to present at agronomy, crop, soil meeting

Piled Higher and Deeper is his analogy for PhD

Media Invitation
Contact: Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org. Please RSVP by November 4, 2015

October 29, 2015—Jorge Cham, creator of PhD Comics and the Piled Higher and Deeper movies, will be presenting a lecture with the same name on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Synergy in Science ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN.

The Synergy in Science meeting is sponsored jointly by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America, and, in 2015, cooperation with the Entomological Society of America.

Cham will talk about his research and experience as a graduate student in robotics in relation to his work with the comic strip and movies. “Why have grad students responded so much to these comics, and the movies? How does graduate work affect their mental health and creative thinking? They resonate with grad students around the world and in any discipline,” says Cham.

“Fifty percent of graduate students don’t finish their thesis. They might get stressed, determine that research isn’t right for them…I talk about procrastination. It’s not the same thing as being ‘lazy.’ Procrastination is something many academics struggle with. Then they feel bad, and get stressed. Procrastination can be a positive thing…it can help you break through creative or scientific problems you are struggling with. A good example is Isaac Newton. Why was he out under that tree [when he came up with laws of motion?] He was out in nature. There is real science and psychology showing that if you focus too hard, you can prevent great ideas from coming into your head.”

For more information about the Synergy in Science 2015 meeting, visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/. Media are invited to attend the conference. Pre-registration by Nov. 4, 2015, is required. Visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/newsroom for registration information. For information about the “Piled Higher and Deeper” presentation, visit https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2015am/webprogram/Paper96624.html. To learn more about the The PHD Movie 2: Still in Grad School movie, visit http://phdmovie.com/.  

To speak with Cham regarding his Synergy in Science presentation, contact Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org to arrange an interview.

The American Society of Agronomy is an international scientific and professional society with its headquarters in Madison, WI. Our members are researchers and trained, certified professionals in the areas of growing our world’s food supply, while protecting our environment. We work at universities, government research facilities and private businesses across the United States and the world.