I’m getting ready to head to St. Louis in a few minutes to see Dar Williams in concert tonight, Yay!

After talking with Carole again, catching up with Allen, and getting a highly draft version of the Topic Maps syllabus, it looks like my fall schedule is the following (see previous post for more detail):

• 590FO  Applied Ontologies in the Natural Sciences (new) with Allen Renear
• 590IML  Information Modeling with Allen Renear
• 590TR  Information Transfer and Collaboration in Science (new) with Carole Palmer

Allen politely reminded me that I could take both of his classes.    Carole has a tentative, unfilled reading list and not much else, but she assured me that I will be able to shape whatever assignments towards my goals.  I didn’t doubt that, but I had to ask.

Here’s the description for Carole’s course:

This seminar examines the role of information in the production of
scientific knowledge. Building on a foundation of classic readings in
the history and sociology of science, the course will cover a range of
contemporary research on scientific communication, collaboration,
research practice, and informatics. The focus is on formal and informal
information transfer and communication as a social phenomenon and
implications for collaborative science and e-science. The course had
been developed as part of the master’s degree in bioinformatics and is
also suited for doctoral students and advanced master’s students
interested in professional development as science and medical
information specialists. [Emphasis mine...]

…I loves me that stuff!  Have already read lots of it; so it’ll serve as
a refresher with a new twist, and I’m sure there’ll be some pieces new
to me.  Plus, I’ll get to bring my reading in this area up-to-date from
a few years ago.  For those of you who think science is some grand methodology that leads to progress and truth, well, let me suggest a few readings perhaps.

It was suggested (party shall remain unnamed) that I skip Topic Maps, for now anyway, as it is a "boutique" course.  "Would be interesting, the instructor is great, good friend of person making suggestion, … , but skip it."  Exactly the sort of advice I need.

So when I got home last night I made sure there were no time slot conflicts.  Oh joy!  Here is what I found:

• 590FO  Thursday  9 – 1150 AM
• 590TR  Thursday  12 – 250 PM
• 590IM  Thursday  430 – 630 PM

Now that is certainly some sort of schedule.  What sort could be argued.  I guess the proof will be in the execution though.  And they are all 4 hour courses, no 2 hour options with these.  Ah well.

It certainly leaves the schedule for the rest of the week highly flexible.  I’ll have to pack lunch on Thursdays, but that’ll be good for me.  And since 590IML is a LEEP course I can come home in the afternoon and take the 2nd Allen class from home.

And thanks to another of the many wise women I get to hang around with, Beth, I was reminded how to find out for sure if I have a time ticket.  And I certainly do!  Come Tuesday at 8:20 AM I’ll be registering for Summer I and Fall.  I’m about as giddy as a schoolboy at recess.

On a related front, yesterday I found out that "Professor Krummel will be offering 511

Bibliography on Thursday mornings and Professors Kathie and Bill Henderson will be offering 582 Preserving Info Resources on Tuesday mornings" this fall, also.

Yay!  Fellow students out there, just a little example of what the power of taking a stand and giving your input into your program can accomplish, even if it was not asked for.

Now, other groups certainly assisted in this effort, but my 2 wonderful allies and I, at least, are going to believe that collecting and providing student input was also important in this matter.  We may have upset the Dean just a bit with our initial letter to the student body on the matter of the emeriti faculty, but it forced him to address the matter much sooner than he would have otherwise.  A little prodding, even a cattle prod when required, can be a good thing.

And, no, really, we don’t expect you to thank us.  We did it because it was the right thing to do whatever the consequences were.