By Kareem Carr
I spoke to the AMS Council late in the day on behalf of the GradBlog, and I wanted to share my comments with you here:
“Thank you, Dr. Morgan and thank you to the Council for letting me speak today on behalf of the editors of the AMS Graduate Student blog. The blog primarily contains advice articles written by the blog’s editors. It is currently receiving about 13,000 visits per month. The most read article has been viewed approximately 4,000 times since it was posted early in October. The articles seem to fill a niche. The topics which generate the most interest are: jobs, scholarships and advice on teaching. However, the questions readers ask can be unexpected. For example, one reader asked how to relax and stop thinking about mathematics.”
Here I adlibbed, joking that Frank had answered the question. You have to know Frank to get the humor: He is an incredibly dynamic and hardworking person. One student at the Conference succinctly described him as, “glasses, wiry, energetic.” Needless to say, this went over well.
“For editors and readers alike, the first few months have been a learning experience. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and to answering any questions. Thank you.”
I’m pleased to say that the Council was excited to hear about the blog and thought it would be a great venue for the Council to get feedback from graduate students on issues like the Fellows Program. The Council members were full of suggestions and ideas for topics to blog on and I’ll try to share these over the next few months.