Mathematicians have proved that a random process applied to a random surface will yield consistent patterns.
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Have you ever lamented the fact that there isn’t some kind of instruction book to help you navigate your scientific training?
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone explained how to choose a mentor, or what it means to give a ‘job talk?’ And is there any advice for how to deal with that negative peer-reviewer, or how to escape a sub-par PI?
And this week, we get this clinical psychologist’s insight into why academic training is so stressful, and how you can overcome the major hurdles along the way.
Emerging Academics
Andres De Los Reyes, PhD
Dr. De Los Reyes shares his definition of an Emerging Academic, a word he uses to describe that intense training period between undergrad and a faculty position. It’s a little bit like ’emerging adulthood’, he says, when we leave home to become real ‘grownups’, with all the uncertainty and responsibility that entails.
One reason academia makes that transition difficult is because our training programs are more focused on ‘book smarts’ than ‘street smarts,’ he says. We spend years learning the depth and nuance of our scientific field, but hardly anyone teaches us the actual skills that faculty use to succeed.
For example, you may get lucky enough to co-author a paper or two with your PI, but has anyone taught you how to successfully apply for grants?
Do you know how much budget to ask for when setting up a lab?
And what do you do if one of your competitors reviews your paper, and actively works against you with the editor?
The Early Career Researcher’s Toolbox answers those questions and more. It’s packed with step-by-step instructions, sample emails and cover letters, and personal stories from other Emerging Academics to help you realize you’re not alone on this journey.
It’s essential reading whether you’re an undergrad, a new faculty member, or anywhere in between.
Black Lives Matter
We also take some time in this episode to continue a conversation on many hearts and minds recently.
As the United States opens its eyes to the institutional racism that resulted in the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and many before them, we must also reflect on and mobilize against the racism endemic in academia and research institutions.
That starts by listening to the voices of black and minority students who have faced implicit and explicit bias at every stage of life, including the Ivory Tower.
Then, we must do some work to understand your own implicit biases,
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Sexist snow plowing? Data that guide everything from snow removal schedules to heart research often fail to consider gender. In these cases, “reference man” stands in for “average human.” Human bias also infects artificial intelligence, with speech recognition triggered only by male voices and facial recognition that can’t see black faces. We question the assumptions baked into these numbers and algorithms.
The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Seth Shostak, Molly Bentley, SETI Institute, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. John Fritz, an Associate Vice President for Instructional Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Working within UMBC’s Division of Information Technology, John is responsible for UMBC’s focused efforts in teaching, learning and technology, including learning analytics. He is also responsible for tier 1 (basic) user support including knowledge management. Previously, John served as UMBC’s Director of News & Online Information, and has more than 10 years’ experience as a public information officer, writer and editor in three University of Maryland campuses. John holds a Ph.D in Language, Literacy and Culture from UMBC, a Master’s degree in English (with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition) from the University of Maryland, College Park, a bachelor’s degree in English and religion from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland, and certificates in New Media Publishing from the University of Baltimore and Instructional Systems Design from UMBC.
Segment 1: Faculty Course Design and Analytics [00:00-11:59]
In this first segment, John shares about some of his research on Learning Management Systems (LMSs)
In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:
Fritz, J. L. (2016). Using analytics to encourage student responsibility for learning and identify course designs that help (Ph.D.). University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States — Maryland. Retrieved from http://umbc.box.com/johnfritzdissertation
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The views expressed by guests on the Research in Action podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Ecampus or Oregon State University.
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Most doctoral training in psychology follows an apprentice model: Grad students affiliate with a primary advisor and lab, and do most of their training under that one person. But what happens when grad students and professors develop professional relationships outside of that traditional model? In this episode we discuss the politics and etiquette of students and faculty interacting and working together outside of the advisor-advisee model. How much control do – and should – advisors have over their advisees? How should faculty go about supporting and criticizing the work of students from other labs? What are the issues involved when faculty intervene (or don’t) in other advisor-advisee relationships? Plus: We answer a letter from an early-career researcher wondering if they should withdraw from a paper that is less rigorous and less open than they would like it to be.
Our theme music is Peak Beak by Doctor Turtle, available on freemusicarchive.org under a Creative Commons noncommercial attribution license. Our logo was created by Jude Weaver.
This is episode 59. It was recorded on May 17, 2019.
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This week we present two stories about being the one who is there when it happens.
Part 1: Journalist Sarah Kaplan normally covers the science beat, but when tragedy strikes in Las Vegas, she takes on an assignment unlike any she’s had before.
Part 2: While covering the devastating impact of an earthquake in Thailand, journalist Maryn McKenna reflects on tragedy in her own life.
Sarah Kaplan is a reporter at the Washington Post covering news from around the nation and across the universe.
Maryn McKenna is an independent journalist who writes about public health, global health and food policy. She is a columnist for WIRED’s Ideas section and a Senior Fellow of the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University. She is the author of the 2017 bestseller BIG CHICKEN (tiled PLUCKED outside North America), SUPERBUG, and BEATING BACK THE DEVIL; her TED talk, “What do we do when antibiotics don’t work any more?”, is closing in on 1.8 million views. She lives in Atlanta.
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