(Yes, I'm spelling defen(s|c)e inconsistently. Deal with it. This might also be conscious breathing awareness month.)
I arrived in town on Thursday morning to snow and ice covered streets. I decided I would bike it in since proceeding on the first 600m test scenic route to the main road was uneventful. I was surprised to see several locals walk their bikes along some stretches of pathway. Deciding to investigate, I tried to slow down. There was no slowing down. Somehow, I had made it more than 3 km without running into this problem, and then I noticed locals falling over and/or biking into snow banks or off the path to avoid worse things on the path.
I dismounted after riding into some soft snow, and walked the bike under the highway underpass. A local walking his dog warned me about the slippery surface in Finnish, and then gestured the same. A cautious 40 minutes later (walking past some interesting tread marks that recorded black ice under snow) I arrive at my office.
No new draft from the student, so I work on the text he sent to the opponent (It had obvious grammar issues in new text, but was otherwise OK). I hope he at least did a language check with someone for whatever new content might be added. Then I realize that I have no idea about protocol at the defense on Friday, and my co-supervisor was not in her office. But she did return an e-mail detailing the procedure (most of which I had observed before).
On Friday morning, I collect my co-supervisor from her office, and we head to the usual presentation room a few minutes before its scheduled start. The student was already there, with the PowerPoint loaded, waiting for us.
The presentation goes well. In addition to we the supervisors, there was the opponent, the moderator, and some other students/staff. A couple of attendees even walked in late, during the defense.
The opponent offers his criticisms in detail. He and the student debate for a few minutes. I agree with most/all of the criticisms, and even recall making some of them in previous drafts. The opponent states that the presentation was clearer than the text.
After time was up, we adjourned to a communal sitting/coffee area, at which the four of us discuss in detail the criticisms and next steps. My co-supervisor and the opponent both supply hardcopies of the thesis (my co-supervisor did not print a copy of the final version), I promised to send a copy of my marked-up PDF.
The student would have until Monday to amend his thesis because the department committee that has the final word on thesises meets on Tuesday. My co-supervisor suggests a meeting on Monday to do the formal grading paperwork (based on the expectation that the student will improve the text as suggested).
[I have extended hand-written notes about the defense, which may appear in this space at a later date in some form.]
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