ABSTRACT
Dr. Samson: Our last dissertation presentation before our closing speakers is also a biographical “participant story” of sorts, though it is a story about the author’s father and his expedition across the plains of Australia. It is also our only electronic dissertation representative. In fact, it was the world’s first electronic, web-based dissertation as far as we know. Yes, Dr. Simon Pockley was responsible for the world’s first online doctoral thesis, “The Flight of Ducks,” which you can access on the World Wide Web. I’ll write it down for you now: www.duckdigital.net/FOD/. Simon receives invitations to speak at National and International forums where he speaks, and also writes about, values in the ecology of information management. He was a contributor to UNESCO’s Guide to Preservation and Digital Heritage as well as the UNESCO Guide to Electronic Theses and Dissertations. He lives in Australia and is in demand as a PhD supervisor, examiner, and student mentor. He works from time to time as a consultant.
