– FROM THE ARCHIVES – (CLICK HERE FOR PIN-UP POSTER – pdf file ~85k – We suggest photocopying at 129% – LTR to 11×17) – – – We currently have room in the lab for more graduate students. But before you apply to this lab or any other, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be realistic about graduate school. Graduate school in biology is not a sure path to success. Many students assume that they will eventually get a job just like their advisor’s. However, the average professor at a research university has three students at…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From commentary
I Can’t Breathe
https://content.blubrry.com/citedpodcast/SS_EP_5_I_Cant_Breath.mp3 Note that this podcast episode is part of a series on the various secondary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to see more on their wesbite. * * * The brutal public lynching of George Floyd has sparked a rebellion against police violence and systematic racism. The mostly peaceful protests are courageously rising up, while the police respond with unrelenting force. This all-out war against the American people tells us much about the government’s priorities; while nurses struggle to get basic protective equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, over-funded police forces patrol American streets…
Science Studies and its Mea Culpas
Note that this piece was written to accompany an excellent radio documentary series produced by the award winning Cited, and called “Technocracy and its Discontents.” Click here to catch the first episode, “The Science Wars”. * * * There has been something rather strange happening in a marginal corner of the humanities called science studies. Science studies is claiming itself responsible for creating our ‘post-truth’ political climate. These left-wing scholars are reckoning with the uncomfortable possibility that their sophisticated sociological investigations of science enabled climate denialism, Donald Trump, and the Brexit campaign (Fuller, 2018; Latour, 2004). What are we to make…
TRUMPIAN SCIENCE: A SHORT GUIDE
Science should be done with all the “best” words. Data is shown via tweets. Folks with “intelligence” not to be trusted. China is mathematically removed in climate change projections. Hypotheses all end with a “CHA-CHING!” Scientific credentials include showing your birth certificate. “Pussy” is a medically recognized term. Citations include lawsuits. Expert peer review still sound, except for the bit about “expert.” All computer stuff to be done by some guy in New Jersey: not Russia. Breibart News is a credible scientific source. Scientific community includes that crazy relative of yours who believes mermaids are real but climate change is…
ON SUGAR, PARALLEL UNIVERSES, AND UTILITARIAN SELFISHNESS
As selfish as a dog in a manger: this self-gratifying dog is found lying on the hay originally intended for the hard-working horses, and you, the witness, can only gaze in horror. In Horror, but not shock; not shock as you could have expected no less from a dog as selfish as this. You do not feel shock for the selfishness of this dog just as I feel none for the ignorance of the person in the shop last week who labelled me ‘as selfish as a dog in a manger.’ While I failed to give this encounter much thought…
ADVICE FOR POTENTIAL GRADUATE STUDENTS
(CLICK HERE FOR PIN-UP POSTER – pdf file ~85k) – We suggest photocopying at 129% – LTR to 11×17 – We currently have room in the lab for more graduate students. But before you apply to this lab or any other, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be realistic about graduate school. Graduate school in biology is not a sure path to success. Many students assume that they will eventually get a job just like their advisor’s. However, the average professor at a research university has three students at a time for about 5 years each.…
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR URBAN FOREST CAN DO FOR YOU…
It’s time that we upped the ante on the level of public discussion on the urban forest. What is the urban forest you ask? Well it’s those pleasant remnant stands of forest that speckle the urban landscape, like Vancouver’s Stanley Park – but it’s also every other tree in the city, from that old oak tree on the front lawn to those pitiable and short-lived trees sprouting from the concrete downtown. Trees have been the recipient of a growing urban celebrity over the past years. I subscribe to Google News alerts, so whenever the words “urban forest” appear in a…
A moment of your time: about Bill C-398 and how Canadians can contribute to global health
Dear Canadians: On wednesday, a very important piece of policy will be discussed in parliament. It’s called Bill C-398 and it deserves our attention. It seems that it has been challenging for some to see its merits, and so, I’d like to take moment to clarify what it’s all about. It turns out that it’s not just important – the narrative is intriguing as well: it has a rich history of political intrigue; it is a story where viruses factor in prominently; it has a plot that involves armies of angry grandmothers; and above it all, learning about Bill…
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT JOHN MICHAEL GRIFFIN, JR.
– FROM THE ARCHIVES – Griff, as he was known in high school, was a friend of mine. In fact, late in the first half of our lives, he stood up for me physically and philosophically, for being a science geek. Truth is, John’s endorsement was the first time I was ever deemed cool for wanting to be a scientist. It is also 10 years ago, that Griff died an engineer and a hero in the collapse of one of the World Trade Center towers. We lost touch almost twenty years before, but his kindness and generosity formed not only…