By Qiang Zha and Chuanyi Wang. In his most recent book, Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalisation of Democracy (2014), Francis Fukuyama argues that a well-ordered society requires a strong state, the rule of law and democratic accountability; he insists that states that democratize before acquiring the capacity to rule effectively are likely to fail. It is effectively a lens through which we might revisit Burton Clark’s influential model of the relationship between the academy, government and the market, and makes a case for a stronger state role. Read more...
Combating Shiny Object Syndrome
By Katie Shives. In graduate school it is extremely important to know when you are putting your time towards professional activities that are directly beneficial to your dissertation progress versus activities that are interesting or fun but do not contribute to moving you forward. In terms of time and resources spent on experiments, staying on task is a serious consideration or else you run the risk of falling victim to Shiny Object Syndrome. Read more...Career Resources for the Academic and Non-Academic Job Search
By Jason McSheene. Many graduate students are well aware that the tenure-track career path is no longer the “default.” Where a postdoctoral research position was once the expected norm, the current climate for stable academic careers after that postdoc has become increasingly perilous to early-stage researchers. Thankfully, this is no secret. To the contrary, it is the beginning point to many discussions and writings concerning the current state of PhD programs in context of a proper job training. There is a major downside to the “default tenure-track mindset”. Read more...Coffee: Words from a Grad Student/Addict
By Erin Bedford. In terms of drug addictions, addiction to caffeine is a pretty easy one to have—our drug dealers are everywhere and they let the stuff go for pretty cheap. In general, it’s also not a bad one to have. Research shows that there aren’t too many health risks (although it can worsen conditions like anxiety and insomnia) and even some evidence of health benefits, like lowered risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver disease. While caffeine can be found in many forms, my personal favorite source is coffee (tea drinkers, check out our post on making good tea). Read more...Standing Calvin on His Head
Shocker: Quick Fix Doesn’t Work
Hidden in Plain Sight
“Dad, Is the University of Phoenix a Good School?”
We're Destroying Higher Education for Future Generations
By John Warner. On Wednesday, the New York Times asked, “Is Your First Grader College Ready?”
Also on Wednesday, we learned that if Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed cuts to higher education go through we can expect massive contraction of faculty and courses at the flagship LSU campus, which will get off lucky, because it will at least stay open, unlike some of the other colleges and universities of the Louisiana system. Read more...
#ELI2015 Attendee Device Tech: 5 Observations
By Joshua Kim. Now that we are all back from #ELI2015 it is time to talk about what really mattered at the Conference - the gadgets. The whole world is watching the personal tech choices of the elite globe trotting opinion makers who flock each year to the glamorous global ELI confab. Today’s ELI attendee tech is tomorrow’s must own device. Read more...