The Black Hole
Why should universities continue to own and profit from publicly funded work? If the public pays for it, why shouldn’t the public own it?
I’m stepping away this week from my ongoing series on how to improve federally-supported translational research programs to broach a sensitive topic that is long overdue for discussion. University tech transfer is broken, and its purpose and structure need to be re-thought.
Of course, my critic...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/need-fix-tech-transfer-universities/
The Black Hole
Career planning and mental health in academe were some of the most-read topics addressed on the Black Hole in the past year.
Happy New Year to all of our readers. The Continue reading is marking its 10th year of existence and Jonathan and I are excited to be in the final stages of compiling our first book on the core issues facing academic science today – we a...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/2019-year-in-review-exploring-the-topics-that-resonated-with-our-readers/
The Black Hole
Both David and Jonathan hope that many new and good things can come from this period of lockdown.
This quarter has been different – there is no doubt about that. Both Jonathan and I have spent lockdown with working partners (medical doctor and scientist) and two little ones each (all four kiddies under the age of five) and we were chatting the other day about how odd it is that he and I have o...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/quarterly-summary-the-covid-19-lockdown-and-the-importance-of-scientists/
Speculative Diction
On March 16, Steve Paikin - the host of the TVOntario’s popular current affairs show “Continue reading” - shared a blog post titled “Where are all the female guests?”. In it, he expressed concern about the ongoing lack of gender parity among ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/speculative-diction/break-the-binders-gender-media-womens-choices/
Career Advice
Quick takes on making quick work of your bibliography
Compiling a letter-perfect bibliography is about as relaxing as defusing a mine, but a new generation of bibliographic management software cuts down on the sweat and tears.
The market for these tools is dominated by Thomson ResearchSoft, maker of EndNote, Reference Manager, ProCite and WriteNote,...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/citations-made-simple/
Career Advice
Secrecy, exclusion and collusion on academic committees.
Career Advice
Being the messenger of policies you don’t like.
In any career in postsecondary education, you will eventually run into a situation where you have to be the messenger of a policy or decision you disagree with. For me, this is the requirement by some British Columbia universities, that local applicants coming from high school must have taken a cour...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/the-art-of-helping-students/
Career Advice
Building an online space to highlight your academic work will help you come job search time.
Ben Laufer is your typical highly productive PhD student. He’s earned a national scholarship to pursue research on molecular genetics at Western University’s biology department, published multiple first-author papers in top-tier academic journals, and won major awards for his communication skill...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/meet-the-next-generation-of-social-media-savvy-graduate-students/
Career Advice
Good students are hard to find.
Since taking up an assistant professor position in the biology department at Western University, I’ve received many emails from prospective students and postdocs wanting to volunteer, study or work in my lab. At least once or twice a day the ping of my phone reveals an email with the subject line:...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/advice-for-those-looking-to-join-an-academic-lab/
Career Advice
For the last five semesters I have co-taught an introductory biology course. Until now, this has not been the norm in our department. This semester has been different for many instructors: half of our courses are now co-instructed. This dramatic restructuring has caused me to reflect on my experienc...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/best-practices-teaching-course-team/
Career Advice
Writing your thesis isn’t always a walk in the park, so here are some tips to help you out.
It’s no secret that writing your master’s or doctoral thesis is no easy task. Writer’s block and procrastination haunt many graduate students. Nonetheless, Geneviève Belleville, psychology professor at Université Laval, has a few tricks that can help make things easier. Back in 2014, she com...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/7-tips-for-efficient-thesis-writing/
From PhD to Life
Sarah-Louise Quinnell earned her PhD in geography from King's College London. She's now the learning and development manager for the online tutoring service Mactrac, which is part of Macmillan Digital Education. Follow Sarah Continue reading.
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/from-phd-to-life/transition-q-a-sarah-louise-quinnell/
From PhD to Life
Daniel Mullin earned his PhD in philosophy from the Free University in Amsterdam. He's now a salesperson and consultant. Find him online at Continue reading and follow him @d...
https://universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/from-phd-to-life/transition-q-a-daniel-mullin/
Sponsored Content
Universities are increasingly looking for ways to improve their operational efficiencies and make financial savings.
In this digital age we’re becoming used to new and improved ways of paying for everything – whether that be a morning coffee, or something more substantial such as a mortgage.
One particular sector that has faced challenges with these payment innovations is the higher education world, specifi...
https://universityaffairs.ca/magazine/sponsored-content/the-impact-of-financial-technology-on-student-recruitment/
The Many Faces
It is a critical path forward for institutions to create meaningful change and honour Indigenous self-determination.
As we approach 10-years since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Continue reading and 94 calls to action, it is crucial for institutions to reflect on the progress made and the wor...
https://universityaffairs.ca/the-many-faces/what-does-indigenization-mean/
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