Immersing myself back in the academic sphere

This week is the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ Annual Congress (sometimes called the Congress of the Learned Societies, a name I found extremely funny). I have a couple of long-term research colleagues coming from Ontario, so I am looking forward to seeing them. Furthermore, I happen to be lucky in that I found a way to sneak into the program, and I will be giving two talks.

One of the keynote speakers is Richard Florida, a scholar whom some people love to hate. I happen to like Florida’s research, and since I am someone who understands the field of urban sustainability and regional science, I think that there is merit to his work. I am not a fan of Florida, but I won’t be demeaning to him. As a scholar myself, I think that Florida should be receptive to criticism and I’d jump at the chance to come and see him speak and ask questions (tough but respectful). We’ll see if I manage to do that, since I am also presenting at Congress.

It feels somewhat strange to be back immersed in the academic realm, talking research strategies, etc. Blogging does give me a much needed respite from the heavy duties of academic research and writing, but at times, I also kind of need to do that again so that I remember why I did a PhD in the first place! And Congress is really fun. I enjoy schmoozing the academic-geeky way