Final month o' dissertating

That's right, folks: I hope to turn in the dissertation on May 29, just over a month from now. Eeeeeek!

I've been fairly productive of late, which is bolstering my confidence that I can indeed finish this thing, and Tough Reader's response to my chapters was encouraging even though people warned me she's a really, well, tough reader. I have yet to hear from my other reader, but he's pretty much told me my dissertation is between me and Fantastic Adviser and that he'll rubber-stamp whatever she approves.

Where I'm at: about 1/3 of the way through writing Chapter 4. Since I've finished all research needed for it, the remainder (~25 pages) should be pretty smooth sailing.

Still need to:
- Finish Chapter 4.
- Write a concluding chapter based on e-mail interviews I've undertaken with a few women scientists working in natural history museums today. I need to try to get a few more interviews to flesh out the chapter. Fantastic Adviser is also asking me to be reflective in this chapter on my own experiences working in a hands-on science center. I imagine that section will be fun to write, as I wrote a couple papers on such science centers during my first couple years here, so I have all the research finished.
- Revise chapters already handed in, including dividing Chapter 3 (AKA the Chapter That Refused To Be Completed) into two chapters. This will be the most time-consuming work.
- Polish footnotes and bibliography.

That's a lot of work for one month. Wish me luck, and I apologize in advance for any blogging droughts, unanswered e-mail, and unreturned phone calls. Please bear with me, and thanks for your continuing support!