Words of Wisdom

Marios Pattichis

1. Work as hard as you can to finish your dissertation as fast as you can.
2. If you are passionate about your work, then put some passion against your work. It is better to be your own worst critic than to have your committee look for your faults. They will be happier, and you will be happier.
3. If you think that your dissertation will change the world, don't fool yourself. Leave all the Nobel prize winning work for later [Athanasios Papoulis, personal communication].

Dong Wei

1. Work hard
2. Work smart
3. Enjoy life

Thomas Kite

1. The quality of interaction with your advisers is proportional to your willingness to interact with them.
2. Be confident that your work is good and that other people want to read it.
3. Talk to the guys [and girl] in the lab. They may have useful things to say--or they may just brighten up your day.

Sanghoon Lee

1. Be enthusiastic in your study.
2. Listen to advice.
3. Collaborate with your advisor.

Barry Barnett

1. Take care of your family and relationships. They are the most important things. Don't sacrifice them.

Jian Ling

1. Studying while working full time is tough but rewarding
   The tough part is that you give up your evenings and weekends.
   The rewarding part is that you really feel worthwhile by directly linking your studies with your career.
2. Getting your Ph.D. is not the end of study in your life. It only gives you the license to start learning by yourself.

Zhou Wang

1. The best way to learn is to ask people to criticize your work. Excellence is not perfection. Don't be afraid to show your weakness.
2. Don't DO research. Enjoy it.
3. Simplicity is the beauty of science.

Shizhong Liu

1. Think intuitively. Write mathematically.
2. Think the problem hard until it comes in your dream.
3. I have been proud to be a part of UT. I now hope that I will be able to make UT proud of me.

Hamid Rahim Sheikh

1. Realize, acknowledge, appreciate, be thankful for, and reciprocate the help that you receive from others.
2. Success is a product of a number of abilities: intelligence, focus, foresight, ability to work hard even if it is not enjoyable, patience, forbearance, and even rote memory. Drive any to zero, and the product would go zero too!
3. There is no such thing as individual success. Achievement comes at a physical, emotional, and spiritual cost that you, and those who love you, need to pay. Don't burden anyone beyond his/her capacity.
4. Think about your "words on wisdom" at the start of your PhD and try sticking to them.

Umesh Rajashekar

1. Always be enthusiastic about what you do and put in your best effort each time. Even if you do not succeed in your task, you should feel happy that you tried your best.
2. Don't let your mind and personality stagnate. Upgrade yourself by learning new skills regularly.
3. Try to make a positive impact on the people around you.
4. Live life, don't just exist.

Muhammad Farooq Sabir

1. There will be times when things won’t be working out as you want them to. Don’t give up and always keep trying hard. Remember, hard work never goes wasted and you will eventually get what you want.
2. Your success is not just your doing. If you look around you will find many people who contributed towards it. Always be grateful to them and remember their contribution in your life.
3. Always keep an open mind. Remember, your ego can be your worst enemy. Never pretend that you know everything; no one does. Never be ashamed to ask questions if you don’t know something.
4. Try to make this world a better place. Help people. By getting this education you will most likely be in a position to have an impact on many lives. Make sure that it is a positive one.
5. Never ask Hamid for advice.

Hyohoon Choi

1. If you want to do good research, don't get married. If you are married, don't get discouraged, just don't have a baby. If you have a baby, don't get discouraged, just don't have another one! Believe and you can always succeed. I graduated with three babies :)
2. Be passionate and open minded. Always respect others.
3. Always ask questions.

James Monaco

1. Nothing ever works on the first attempt - success lies in the ability to determine whether the failure is due to a bad idea or simply poor execution.
2. Use your peers - they won't be able to provide you with solutions that are valuable, but they will be able to identify your solutions that are not.
3. It's never as good or bad as it seems.