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Re: IMPORTANT: RESEARCH ON WHAT?






tesla-at-pupman-dot-com on 30.11.98 06:30:07

To:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
cc:    (bcc: Marco Denicolai/MARTIS)
Subject:  IMPORTANT: RESEARCH ON WHAT?




Original Poster: Gary Johnson <gjohnson-at-ksu.edu>
>The critical thing about a Ph.D. thesis is that it contain something new
and
>that it be publishable in a peer-reviewed journal.  The academic community
>wants to make sure that you can allocate resources (time and money), and
do
>the planning, research, and writing in order to add to the sum of man's
>knowledge.  Believe me, not everyone who can pass graduate courses is able
>to do research. We assume you are a beginner, and therefore do not expect
>the same level of performance as someone with 20 years experience.  You
need
>to ask: What can I do in a year or two that will result in a published
paper
>and impress my committee enough to grant the degree?  Then you focus on
that
>task.
That's why I'm asking help from all you people from the list: I haven't got
yet so mush experience in Tesla Coils.

>The Tesla coil books that I have read
>were mostly written by people that were better researchers than teachers.
I agree with that

>By the way, I would be surprised if your lab
>has instruments to view the waveform of the voltage at the top of a Tesla
>coil, without loading the coil, and with known accuracy on both amplitude
>and phase.  I had to build my own, as has Terry Fritz.  This area would
have
>a high probability of success.
I am trying to collect a list of technical data about all the instruments
available at the High Voltage Laboratory. Building a "Terry Fritz probe" is
also a way to go.


I am preparing a set of papers about my future studies:

- a project workplan, with goals, time schedules and analysis of costs
- a specifications of the TCs I mean to build.

If allowed by the moderator I'll post these to the list when ready,
otherwise they'll be available at my web site.

>Does your school encourage the appointment of off-campus members of the
>Ph.D. Committee?  You might try to get one or two members of this
list-serve
>on your committee.

Yes, this is very well possible

>This might not be practical if the working language is
>Finnish.

Everybody speaks english here: my PhD and all papers too will be in
english. No problem.

>You can always use this group informally, but having a formal vote
>or two on your committee might be useful.  I would be willing to serve on
>your committee, even though I am far from being the most knowledgable
Tesla
>coiler in this group.  I taught Electrical Engineering at Kansas State
>University for 28 years before taking early retirement to putter with
Tesla
>coils.  My former Department Head might even pay air fare to Finland to
>attend your defense.
Thank you for your help and your offer. I'll remember about it.