I think I had a post long ago about funny things I've heard my professors say. Here are two more, heard at the start of seminars in the same afternoon. I think they show the extremes of professors being on the ball and witty.
First, some background for the first. Each week we have a Chez Pierre seminar, this being the flagship MIT condensed matter physics seminar series. Free pizza is available in the kitchen behind the seminar room immediately before each talk. Each March, the weekly seminars are replaced by approximately three seminars per week, given by candidates for new faculty positions. Generally snacks instead of pizza are available at these talks.
At the start of this particular seminar, Professor T walked in and noticed that everyone was eating pizza. He said to a colleague something along the lines of "If I had known there was going to be pizza, I wouldn't have brought my lunch. I thought the physics department didn't budget for lunch at job talks - apparently the department said 'let them eat cake.'"
I was very amused, and tried not to laugh too much, since I was eavesdropping on this conversation.
Later in the afternoon, a different professor at a different seminar got up to introduce the speaker, along these lines.
Prof: "It's my pleasure to introduce my former PhD student, Pak-Wing Fok. I used to call him Pak-Wing Fox, which annoyed him."
PWF: "You got my name wrong in the letter of recommendation you wrote for me!"
Perhaps this comic is not so inaccurate!
No comments:
Post a Comment