Tag: academia

This image is a screenshot of a public post from the X (formerly Twitter) platform, shared by user Sam Clark (@SamClark_23). The post shares a humorous anecdote: a student asked a professor with a PhD to explain the difference between the commonly confused English words 'affect' and 'effect'. The professor responded that he has no idea what the difference between the two words is, and revealed he wrote his entire doctoral dissertation without ever using either word, advising people to avoid using both words entirely if possible. The joke leans into the widely relatable struggle many English speakers have distinguishing the correct usage of affect and effect, plus the humorous irony that even a highly educated advanced academic opts to avoid the confusing word pair instead of learning their correct applications.

PhD Professor Admits He Avoids Using 'Affect' and 'Effect' Because He Doesn't Know Their Difference

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This image is a screenshot of a public tweet from economist Douglas Webber. In the tweet, Webber shares one of his favorite experiences as a PhD committee member: after a PhD student finishes their dissertation defense and waits outside the room while the committee deliberates on the result, he loves opening the door to bring the student back in and simply greeting them with 'Doctor' to confirm they have passed and earned their doctorate. He notes he has gotten to share this moment 17 times and counting as of the date of the tweet. The moment is widely viewed as a heartwarming, wholesome celebration of the student's years of hard work.

Calling a new PhD graduate 'Doctor' after defense

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The image consists of a portrait photo of a bald man in a suit, identified by top text as 'Martin Nowak, a professor at Harvard.' Overlaid on the lower part of the portrait is a simulated email snippet with the header: 'To: Martin Nowak[partially redacted], From: Jeffrey Epstein, Sent: Mon 3/10/2014 2:34:52 PM, Subject: Re:' followed by the message 'did you torture her.' The combination of the academic identification and the disturbing email from Jeffrey Epstein (a convicted sex offender) creates a scandalous implication linking the professor to serious accusations.

Martin Nowak Harvard Professor with Jeffrey Epstein Email

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