Kentucky Scientists

Kano Wasiri was shaken, confused, and definitely worried. The deliberating panel, about to grant him his PhD degree in mines engineering, was reaching the final stage of a successful review of his thesis. His mentor, Dr. O'Shea, out of blue and in a voice trembling with outrage chose this ominous moment to berate Dr. Larry McKinley, a panel member.

"There is absolutely nothing that you can say or do today that would change the course of things to come. I am sorry to say this, maybe I should have said this the first time I met you, I stand ready to deflate the bubble you live in, the bubble you have been carrying around here a bit far too long. I can assure you, no matter what you said, no matter how long you said it, the air has already gone from that bubble, and the light that you have missed all along would continue to tower so bright and so high to enlighten the likes of yours for years and years to come."

Under any circumstance, the outrage from Dr. O'Shea was untimely. It was being delivered in the midst of the most solemn review of the lifetime work of his beloved protégé, Kano Wasiri. Dr. O'Shea had suddenly lost his composure when his younger colleague, Dr. Larry McKinley piqued his rage by asking what, in any other instance, amounted to a basic and ordinary question.

The heated exchange taking place in the Conference Room M203 was bewildering to Kano. He had just completed all requirements to receive his PhD in mines engineering with the mention of excellence, the highest grade attained by super achieving doctoral students. The advisory panel and the major professor planning and guiding his dissertation were extremely supportive. They have concurred every step of the way with what they convinced him to be an original contribution to knowledge in the field of mines engineering.

He was then mystified by the strange behavior his mentor, Dr. O'Shea, was displaying during his final PhD dissertation review.

Kano Wasiri had every reason to be worried now after the terrible incident that crashed the entire computer network of the University of Kentucky about a week ago. He was told that his elaborated research has overextended the capacity and the scope of the recently acquired supercomputer. He was using layered upon layered formulas designed to establish the location of the exotic mineral Alpha-M for his PhD thesis. But the formulas created such an infinite dynamic iteration that the supercomputer was overwhelmed and crashed. Furthermore, the supercomputer crash disabled the entire computer network of the university. In other circumstances, the feat was to be commended and lauded for a doctoral student. Unfortunately, this incident became a major problem for Kano Wasiri, a PhD student guided by the famous iconoclast Professor Anthony O'Shea, a gadfly of sort at the Faculty of Mines Engineering at the University of Kentucky.

For all obvious reasons, Kano Wasiri's mentor, Professor O'Shea, took extreme pride in the computer network crash. This was another way to show his colleagues that his lifetime devotion to the research of exotic minerals was not in vain. As a matter of fact, it was being vindicated in the demonstrated limits of the so-called university supercomputer to process his student's elaborate research computation to establish the location of the exotic mineral. He reassured his student, Kano Wasiri, but showed absolutely no concern or remorse about the university properties. While Kano was being seriously reprimanded about the incident at every level of his research contacts throughout the university, Professor O'Shea endlessly bragged, saying, "How we showed them!" This alarmed him greatly at the moment he was preparing to defend his thesis. Now the heated discussion that was taking place during his final examination for the PhD diploma was not reassuring.

His major professor and mentor, Dr. Anthony O'Shea, had convinced him the day before that this final examination session was going to be, as he put it, a breeze. He said that his dissertation had pushed the bounds of mines engineering scholarship to a level where very few students have dared to go. He added that his defense of the dissertation titled "Alpha-M in Mezi Strata" would land him the highest collation in the Dissertation Approval Form. Dr. O'Shea arrived to that conclusion based on comments he said he had collected from the original members of the advisory committee, including the dean of the Mines Engineering School of the University of Kentucky.

This did not include the opinion of the outside examiner, Dr. Larry McKinley, appointed in last minute in replacement of an original member who had a mild stroke four days before the dissertation review date. Dr. O'Shea had discounted the input of this young and ambitious professor, his nemesis, at the risk now of jeopardizing his protégé's final examination and all that he had worked for his entire academic life in the promotion of exotic minerals study.

The discussion between the old Dr. O'Shea and the young Dr. McKinley got so heated and degenerated to a point where the dean of the Mines Engineering Faculty had to excuse Kano Wasiri and to clear the Conference Room M203 of everybody but the advisory committee members for private consultations.

Kano Wasiri, completely dejected, was now outside the school building in complete fear of failing his final PhD examination. He was reflecting over the exchange that his mentor and this young professor had a while ago.

This happened at the end of his final examination when Kano was going over the conclusions of his dissertation paper. He mentioned that based on the mathematical equations he had resolved in his paper, Alpha-M, an exotic mineral thought to have been released throughout the universe at the beginning of time, was located and can be extracted from the high plateaus of the province of Tongeo in the Republic of Mezi.

Dr. Larry McKinley leaped at that conclusion and challenged Kano to answer the following questions: "How do you know that the mineral to find in those high plateaus has to be Alpha-M? How can you have such a leap of faith and arrive at such a conclusion? Why not gold, tin, copper, or zinc?" What Kano Wasiri thought to be an ordinary academic challenge, and was ready to address, was taken as a major offense by his mentor. Dr. O'Shea stopped his protégé from answering.

He proceeded to tell the younger professor that he did not appreciate his line of questioning with the extremely biased and loaded mention of "leap of faith."

With deliberated anger and without retinue, Dr, O'Shea told the advisory panel members that the young professor was in fact directing his questions not at the PhD student being examined but to him, the dissertation major professor.

The exchange went nowhere but downhill after Dr. McKinley responded by saying, "Dear colleagues, it is my opinion that this distinguished student, I mean Kano Wasiri, has been forced after a first rate and original research to draw a biased, unscientifically proven conclusion that only and only the exotic mineral Alpha-M must be found in that location. That, I am afraid, is an academic perversion of dissertation guidance, a complete abuse of student profile."

Dr. O'Shea was livid when he heard this. He reminded his colleagues that Dr. McKinley had made similar comments in another meeting that took place two days before concerning other topics of similar interest. He also rehashed a number of instances when he had endured similar insults. The exchange became so acrimonious between the two academics that the dean of the Mines Engineering Faculty had to clear the conference room.

Kano Wasiri was still outside two hours later while private consultations continued in the conference room. In light of Dr. McKinley's comments, he now thought that he should have been a little bit concerned and should have requested more clarifications when his mentor kept saying that his dissertation was pushing the limits of established mines engineering science. He was now slowly resigning to the possibility of a failed PhD examination while admiring the greening of the Kentucky blue grass over the field behind the engineering school in the middle of month of May.

Kano reviewed all he went through in this university through date. It had been a rather pleasant journey, every thing considered. He had been a successful student throughout his bachelor's and his master's degrees. He sincerely convinced himself that it should not be difficult to modify that PhD dissertation to address valid objections raised by Dr. McKinley. In fact, he thought that this young professor had revealed himself to be as pleasant as most of the academics he had encountered at the university. Dr. McKinley was never devious or malicious in a way his mentor, Dr. O'Shea, had portrayed him to be during the preceding debate. If anything, Dr. McKinley had always been fair and supportive during few contacts he had with him. He believed that Dr. McKinley was not concerned about the computer network crash. As a matter of fact, he told him sometime later that it was the duty of the university to provide efficient supercomputer for any type of research. He was one of the rare academics who were supportive during the incident period. Kano was now terribly confused by his mentor's behavior. He wondered aloud what could have triggered his mentor's outburst and mostly why now in the middle of his most important time of academic life.

While waiting for the advisory-panel resolution, Kano also thought of the time he spent in the high plateaus of Tongeo in Mezi. It was during a summer vacation before his high school senior year, he was dispatched there to work in a church construction site. He remembered the story he heard from two of older bricklayers. They made mention of the time when people of the area had plenty of food and had a lot of gold, thanks to this rock they called Kany. They said that at a particular time of the year, the rock was broken in small pieces by the area highest priest. The small pieces were thrown in the fields giving a bountiful harvest and in the rivers for magnificent catch and plenty of fishes. The remaining pieces of the rock were sometimes mixed with gold and that produced a large quantity of gold specs.

Now that he was sitting outside the School of Mines Engineering, Kano was wondering about Alpha-M to be found in the same area according to conclusions in his own thesis. He surmised that the younger professor should not dismiss his conclusions so quickly. He asked himself what if Alpha-M turns out to be the fairy "Kany." As quickly as he thought about it, he dismissed the connection. He reverted back to Dr. McKinley's questions, "How do you know that it must be Alpha-M? Why not gold, tin, copper, or zinc?" He was shaken back to reality when someone tapped him on his shoulder. It was his mentor, Dr. O'Shea.

"I am truly sorry for all that has happened there. This was to be a coronation for all that you have done. But that jerk of so-called professor had to ruin it for all of us. Son, this had nothing to do with you. It is all about me and that very ambitious professor. Your dissertation is fine. It has been approved by the entire panel but that outside examiner. It is all clerical now. The panel has decided to remove that professor as outside examiner. The approval form will be brought to the original outside examiner who fell sick. He should sign it in a day or two, and you would be officially a PhD graduate. I cannot imagine what you are going through, and I am truly sorry for that. The bottom line is that you have passed the final examination. Forget this day. I have told you before, and I should repeat it now. We would see setbacks here and there in this long journey and battle for Alpha-M. Today you have crossed a milestone. I sincerely hope that you are not discouraged and are going to stay the course with us in this long battle all the way to Mezi. As a matter of fact, Emily has prepared a nice dinner for us, and she is waiting for us at home."

"Dr. O'Shea, I really appreciate the invitation, but I have to decline this time. After what has happened today, I have to confess I came out of the conference room a bit shaken, perplexed, and worried. I believe I need time for myself to think things through, to reflect about where I go from here. Please extend my sincere apologies to Emily. Better yet, I would clear my Saturday evening schedule to come and pay you two a visit. Today is just not possible. I really need a time out."

"I understand, son, but remember, Emily is counting on you and hope to see you on Saturday."

The mentor and the protégé left the School of Mines Engineering, both embittered by what had happened. Kano Wasiri felt completely let down by his mentor interrupting his final examination in an unprofessional manner. Dr. O'Shea was remorse for his uncontrolled temper and almost getting his best student protégé fail his defense of the dissertation they worked on so assiduously.

When he reached home, his wife, Emily, found him even more despondent. Dr. O'Shea looked tired and completely defeated.

"Honey," Dr. O'Shea said to his wife, "We are going to lose him if we don't do something fast. The final examination was almost a disaster because of my stupid temper. I would not give that professor wannabe the pleasure of trashing our master plan, our design. The wannabe insulted me again right there during the review. I couldn't stand his innuendo. Would you believe, he said that I forced our precious Kano to reach a scientifically unproven conclusion? Dr. McKinley became obnoxious because of the dissertation conclusions. He could not believe that all the mathematical equations that Kano performed would lead to finding Alpha-M in the high plateaus of Mezi. The ambitious one said in front of my colleagues that I forced that conclusion. Honey, you cannot imagine how mad and uncontrollable I became. The final examination became a brawl between both of us. The dean had to excuse Kano, and the advisory committee discussed the whole conclusions privately to grant Kano his well-deserved PhD degree after Dr. McKinley was removed as an outside examiner. What got me is that he had no respect for the final examination protocol. He was appointed in the last minute. He had no authority to challenge the findings except to bring to table the opinions of the previous outside examiner. It turned out he did not. His intervention was carried out only and only to upset me, and he succeeded. But Kano did not know this and could not understand why I behaved so badly. He would never forgive me for almost getting him to fail his final examination. He must be thinking that I am crazy or worse. You got to intervene very quickly. After all, we have invested in our Kano; we just cannot afford to lose him. Remember, we selected him to be the next one. Otherwise, all our work would be in vain."

Emily was shocked to hear what her husband was saying and understood why Kano was not around for the dinner she had prepared the whole afternoon to celebrate his successful final examination. She started sweating bullets at the same time she was trying to calm her husband.

"Nonsense, Anthony, we have not lost our precious Kano. You just leave this to me. We need to give him a few days to come down. Of course, he was disappointed by your outburst. Any student would be if his dissertation advisor overreacts during his final examination. Kano never knew what we went through all these years in the hands of the little ones at the university. They would never match your scholarship. I told you before, and I would repeat it again it has always been jealousy or not being able to operate at the level beyond the primal mines engineering concepts. I also told you not to waste your time with these little ones. Do not feel sorry for what happened today. Not for them. You only defended the master plan. We would have plenty of time to repair it with Kano. He would be back into the fold before long. I would take care of that. But you would need to take time out too. Find yourself a conference to attend, somewhere to unwind before the children come back for their summer vacation. You know how important it has been for all of us that they are not engaged. I don't want them to find you home all remorseful and defeated as you look now."

The day after his final examination, Kano Wasiri started making plans to leave Lexington, Kentucky. He wanted to either go home to Mezi to start his academic career or to gain a college or university teaching position in the United States as long as it was not at the University of Kentucky. His first alternative was not appealing. He had not been in touch with folks back home for some time. He was not eager to start his academic career at the time of entrenched military regime at home. He was not about to play the political games, as he was told, in order to secure an academic position in one of six or seven institutions of higher learning in Mezi. Kano preferred the anonymity of US colleges or universities where he can slowly and surely build a stable academic background. After the sad episode over his dissertation, he was also worried to secure a reliable reference for his placement in addition to his mentor, Dr. O'Shea. He started sending résumés to a few universities. After eight years of enduring extreme unpredictable Kentucky winters, Kano had a strong preference for the southern states' universities. However, he was seriously handicapped in his job search, when about two weeks after he received his PhD, Dr. Larry McKinley, the nemesis of Dr. O'Shea, the professor removed as his dissertation outside examiner, was appointed dean of the School of Mines Engineering at the University of Kentucky.