Home ◇ CV ◇ Publications ◇ Projects ◇ Advice ◇ SPARG ◇ Book meetings!
I value originality very highly. Any idea which is not original enough already exists. Your duty as a research student is to read and understand all prior research in your area and come up with something new and useful. Anything other than that (such as coding the exact same algorithm that someone else had developed before) will only serve as enjoyable pastime and will not be worth the proverbial penny in terms of originality.
I do not and will not tolerate plagiarism. At the end of your studies, and after you present your thesis you will be awarded with the the title M.Sc. which stands for “Master of Science” and Ph.D. which stands for “Doctor of philosophy”. Neither title is light enough to be awarded to someone who copies other people’s work. Real life demands that you respect other people’s work and ideas. If you get caught you’re more than likely to lose face. See for example this.
I want you to enjoy what you are doing. Science and technology are really beautiful subjects. Finding something new of exploring new ideas should be one of your favourite pastimes.
Please try to be punctual. Being on time for a meeting shows that we are on the same page at least as far as the importance that we give to your research. If you will be late or if you won’t show up, give a call, send an e-mail, leave a post-it note on my door. As long as you don’t overdo it, you’ll be fine ;)
Don’t forget that you are not the only one who has ever carried out an MSc or PhD project. I know that it’s not an easy task at hand, but commitment to what you do will solve most of your problems. If you feel down or depressed just because you don’t get the good results you were supposed to get, look at the problem from a distance. A fresh perspective is sometimes all it takes.