Miriam Burstein points out the historical antecedents of the “Atheist Two-Step” discussed by Adam Kotsko and Brandon at Siris. This also ties in nicely with Fred Clark on sectarian atheists, as previously mentioned. Also, speaking of historical screeds by Protestant preachers, Jerry Fallwell is dead. I really don’t have anything to say about that, other… Continue reading Sectarian Atheists and Anti-Catholics
Category: Academia
Parallel Universe Tenure Discussions
The recent discussion over the academic tenure system has sort of wound down, or at least, those parts of it that I feel I can contribute to have wound down. I really ought to note the posts by Bill Hooker and the Incoherent Ponderer, who correctly note that the biggest problem with the academic system… Continue reading Parallel Universe Tenure Discussions
Tenure and Drinking Age
When I was an undergraduate, we had more or less annual alcohol crackdowns on campus. My sophomore year, it was a series of “open container” stings, with cops hiding in the bushes outside various dorms, and leaping out to arrest anyone who walked outside with an empty keg cup. My classmates and I were outraged.… Continue reading Tenure and Drinking Age
The Tenure Process
Mark Trodden gave a nice outline of the tenure process over at Cosmic Variance, laying out the general criteria used by most colleges and universities: The typical criteria in physics are: Excellence in research, as demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications and (by far the most important thing) letters of recommendation solicited from a selection of external… Continue reading The Tenure Process
Ignorance Was Bliss
As a newly minted Associate Professor, I sort of feel like I ought to say something about the recent tenure discussions. These were kicked off by Rob Knop’s recent despairing post (though it should be noted that Rob’s been worried about this for a while), and most of the discussion has taken place at Cosmic… Continue reading Ignorance Was Bliss
The Trouble With KeyNote
I was buried in work last week in part because of the annual Steinmetz Symposium, in which we cancel a day of classes and have students report on their undergraduate research projects. Both of my students were giving talks, and there was all sorts of running around involved in the preparation. One of my students… Continue reading The Trouble With KeyNote
The Essence of Academic Research
It’s common in math and computer science for people to prove important theorems sort of in passing, on the way to some other result. At least, it looks that way to an outsider– Fermat’s Theorem and the Poincare Conjecture are the high-profile examples that come to mind. In that spirit, Scott Aaronson helpfully distills all… Continue reading The Essence of Academic Research
Undergraduate Research: The Catch
So, looking at the SRI studies of undergraduate research and its effects, it seems like the solution to a lot of problems. Involvement in research has been shown to increase student interest in science careers and increase the likelihood of graduate school, regardless of the race and gender of the student or the race and… Continue reading Undergraduate Research: The Catch
Undergraduate Research: Why It Works
I wrote yesterday’s post about the undergraduate research study very quickly, basically just to note the existence of the survey. It’s sparked some good discussion, though, and I’d like to take another post or two to expand on what I think it means. Of course, the beneficial effect of undergraduate research seems almost obvious if… Continue reading Undergraduate Research: Why It Works
It’s the Research that Matters
Over at Pure Pedantry, Jake notes an article in Science about a survey of undergraduate research. The actual article is behind a paywall, but you can get access to the survey reports from SRI directly, which is even better. The study finds a large number of benefits from undergraduate research, from increased confidence to improved… Continue reading It’s the Research that Matters