Monthly Archives: May 2012

Attack on science, or a wakeup call? FY 2013 NSF Political Science Research Funding Eliminated by House

FY 2013 NSF Political Science Research Funding Eliminated by House. How should political scientists respond to such an apparent attack from Congress? Let me present two options: (a) the typical appeal to the fact that these grants all went through … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Broader Impacts, NSF, Peer Review, STEM Policy, US Science Agencies | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Science Policy in the Tragic Age of the Geeks

The title is inspired, obviously, by Nietzsche — but also by this short and funny post from University College London. STS Observatory » Blog Archive » The Geekocratic Tendency. So, what do we think is a good name for this … Continue reading

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Open Access Petition — Opening Access to Research or Courting Disaster? UPDATED

Here is the text of the petition: WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Require free access over the Internet to scientific journal articles arising from taxpayer-funded research. We believe in the power of the Internet to foster innovation, research, and … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Broader Impacts, Future of the University, institutionalizing interdisciplinarity, Libraries, Metrics, Open Access, Science and technology ramifications, STEM Policy, US Science Agencies | 8 Comments

Occupy Impact – the 1st Annual CASRAI International Conference | CASRAI

These guys are on the right track, if you ask me! We feel the ‘occupy’ meme fits the subject well. In our case occupy is not about protest or revolution. It is about getting inside a difficult issue and tackling … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Broader Impacts, Calls for papers, Conferences Upcoming, Economics & STEM Research, Metrics, Occupy Wall Street, STEM Policy, Transdisciplinarity | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Squaring the genetically modified crop circle – opinion – 24 May 2012 – New Scientist

Matthew Nisbet has this right: If researchers want to make progress with genetically modified crops, they must join their opponents in examining regulation. Squaring the genetically modified crop circle – opinion – 24 May 2012 – New Scientist.

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From academic solos to industrial symphonies

Leaping from academia to industry can be vexing, confusing and, to be frank, sometimes irritating. It is not easy to be trained all your life by trusted professors only to be told that some of this training needs to be … Continue reading

Posted in Economics & STEM Research, Globalization, Public Pedagogy, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, STEM Policy, TechnoScience & Technoscientism, Transformative Research | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

sheer lunacy: Science for the Future

Yesterday saw the launch of Science for the Future and it certainly did what it was intended to: make a splash! via sheer lunacy. Sheer lunacy makes an argument, as well. Two elements in the argument are problematic, however: 1) … Continue reading

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Nature News Blog: World’s science funders announce Global Research Council : Nature News Blog

Richard Van Noorden of Nature has a good story out on the newly formed Global Research Council (GRC), a result of the Global Summit on Merit Review held in Washington, DC. The GRC’s first output is a consensus on six … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Broader Impacts, Peer Review | 1 Comment

New Editorial at Springer by Luciano Floridi

Sometimes, we may forget how much we owe to flakes and wheels, to sparks and ploughs and to engines and satellites. We are reminded of such deep technological debt when we divide human life into prehistory and history. That significant threshold is there … Continue reading

Posted in Basic News, Economics & STEM Research, Globalization, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Times Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed: Playing Politics With Poli Sci

Why are politicians targeting polictical science funding at NSF? “These studies might satisfy the curiosities of a few academics, but I seriously doubt society will benefit from them.” via Times Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed: Playing Politics With Poli … Continue reading

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Science funding review – Telegraph

  Nobel laureates demand a review of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s funding process. As Nobel laureates, we are all dedicated to scientific enquiry and know that unexpected observations and discoveries have had far-reaching benefits to industry and … Continue reading

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Are institutions over-reacting to impact? | Impact of Social Sciences

University managers had overreacted and created “an incentive structure and environment in which an ordinary academic who works on a relatively obscure area of research feels that what they are doing isn’t valued”.If that’s happened anywhere, then obviously things have … Continue reading

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The Best Path to Success is Your Own – Gianpiero Petriglieri – Harvard Business Review

It’s interesting to read this in connection with the university. The Best Path to Success is Your Own – Gianpiero Petriglieri – Harvard Business Review. Is it just as viable today to become an independent scholar as it is to … Continue reading

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Philosophy Matters — Examining the Value of Knowledge | Office of Research and Economic Development

Bob and I discuss the value of philosophy. Philosophy Matters — Examining the Value of Knowledge | Office of Research and Economic Development.

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Rule Britannia! On David Willetts and open access to research.

Commentary on the recent speech by Willetts suggesting UK will begin to mandate open access publication for funded research. Rule Britannia! On David Willetts and open access to research..

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Win the Pitch: Tips from Mastercard’s “Priceless” Pitchman – Kevin Allen – Harvard Business Review

An interesting essay in rhetoric! Win the Pitch: Tips from Mastercard’s “Priceless” Pitchman – Kevin Allen – Harvard Business Review.

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Employers must help universities deliver interdisciplinary skills | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional

Employers must help universities deliver interdisciplinary skills | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional.

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The Promise and Perils of Transformative Research | Science of Science Policy

The report from out TR Workshop is now hot off the presses! The Promise and Perils of Transformative Research | Science of Science Policy.   Executive Summary In March of 2012, researchers from a range of fields met at the … Continue reading

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New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years

“Simply put, [the rock layers] are not impermeable,” said the study’s author, Tom Myers, an independent hydrogeologist whose clients include the federal government and environmental groups. “The Marcellus shale is being fracked into a very high permeability,” he said. “Fluids could move … Continue reading

Posted in Environmental policy, Gas Fracking, Sustainability, Risk Management, & Long-Term Security | Leave a comment

The Case for Breaking Up With Your Parents

While Lambert, author of “Nonstop,” admires the multitasking undergraduates Harvard attracts, he also worries about the intellectual and emotional costs of such all-consuming busyness. In a turn toward gravitas, he quotes the French film director Jean Renoir’s observation that “the … Continue reading

Posted in Basic News, Degrowth Economics, Economics & STEM Research, Future of the University, Globalization, Occupy Wall Street, Philosophy & Politics, Public Pedagogy, Public Philosophizing, Science and technology ramifications, TechnoScience & Technoscientism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jobs Few, College Graduates Flock to Unpaid Internships

Confronting the worst job market in decades, many college graduates who expected to land paid jobs are turning to unpaid internships to try to get a foot in an employer’s door. While unpaid postcollege internships have long existed in the … Continue reading

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Open access as a matter of academic ethics — and more.

Yes, Open Access is an ethical question, in part. Open access as a matter of academic ethics: The right thing to do « Omega Alpha | Open Access. But there are other issues, some ethical and some political and institutional. … Continue reading

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Stanford’s President: Distance Learning is a “Tsunami”

Hennessy, [Stanford's President], believes that online learning can be as revolutionary to education as digital downloads were to the music business. Distance learningA  threatens one day to disrupt higher education by reducing the cost of college and by offering the … Continue reading

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Nasher Museum in Dallas Has Sunburn Problem

What happens when we use art to fuel economic growth? Renzo Piano’s Nasher Museum in Dallas Has Sunburn Problem – NYTimes.com.

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Goethe and the Search for the Spirit of Science

This excellent article in the Guardian explores the role of imagination in science. Pardon the length of this block quote, but it was too good to not post: Is it just me or has the dialogue between science and religion … Continue reading

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