In my opinion
To find value in scientific research, we need to understand and respect the social environment in which it occurs.
Scientific research improves our understanding of the world, helps us to make better decisions, enhances economic prospects and contributes to Canada’s social and cultural fabric. But the only part of this formula that scientists can directly control is the first. The creation of knowledge and un...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/suffering-a-crisis-of-faith-in-canadian-science/
In my opinion
Researchers are keen to travel abroad but air transport makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
This article is republished from Continue reading under a Creative Commons license. Read the Continue reading.
A https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/universities-need-to-rein-in-academic-air-travel-and-greenhouse-gases/
In my opinion
Science is rarely a key issue during federal elections – and we think this needs to change.
Despite our political differences, all Canadians benefit from our country’s continued success in scientific discovery and progress. Canadian discoveries include pioneering work on pulsed lasers by Nobel Prize laureate Donna Strickland, the advancement of artificial intelligence by Turing Prize win...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/this-fall-lets-votescience/
In my opinion
La science n’est généralement pas au cœur des préoccupations pendant les élections fédérales. Nous pensons que cela doit changer.
Quelles que soient nos divergences politiques, les Canadiens tirent tous profit des réalisations de notre pays dans le domaine des sciences. Pensons notamment aux travaux avant-gardistes sur les lasers à impulsions qui ont valu le prix Nobel à Donna Strickland, aux travaux sur l’intelligence ar...
https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/opinion/a-mon-avis/cet-automne-soyez-du-groupe-qui-votescience/
In my opinion
Our emphasis on boutique funding programs, rather than open discovery science, hampers our prospects.
For the 96th successive year, no Canadian-based discovery was deemed worthy of recognition for a Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine when this year’s winners were announced on October 7. Fully expecting this outcome, the organizers of a ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/beyond-the-nobel-prize-in-medicine-the-canada-conundrum/
In my opinion
As the U.K. proceeds with Brexit, Canada will likely prioritize collaboration with EU-based researchers over those in the U.K.
As Brexit uncertainty threatens research funding in the U.K., Canadian researchers will likely also be exposed to the effects and may choose to prioritize collaborations with EU-based researchers instead of U.K.-based researchers after Brexit. This is the finding of preliminary research conducted by...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/canadian-researchers-will-be-exposed-to-brexits-after-effects/
In my opinion
The decisions that professors make around evaluation and review – as well as in teaching and scholarly inquiry – are a product of their own interpretation of “excellence.”
Ten years after Continue reading detailed the process by which funding applications are evaluated in the university setting, this topic remains as relevant as ever. As Canadian universities and granting agencies move to increase...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/rethinking-university-scholarships-to-improve-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-among-winners/
In my opinion
L’absence de reconnaissance structurelle des difficultés vécues par les parents et les proches aidants pendant la pandémie est une grave lacune dans les établissements d’enseignement.
En Ontario, on a l’impression que deux mondes parallèles coexistent. Les universités parlent encore d’un « retour à la normale », le gouvernement a levé la plupart des mesures sanitaires et la protection vaccinale permet à plusieurs d’aller au restaurant, de se réunir et de voyager l...
https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/opinion/a-mon-avis/concilier-luniversite-et-la-famille-pendant-la-quatrieme-vague/
In my opinion
Budget is just one factor that leads to a well-functioning journal.
Over the last few years, several studies have been conducted to evaluate the financial impact of open access publishing requirements on scholarly journals, notably in the fields of the humanities, the social sciences, the arts and literature (
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/what-makes-for-a-happy-scholarly-journal/
From the admin chair
Convergence is in the air.
October 22, 2014, I was in lockdown in the Ottawa Convention Centre. I had arrived there for a meeting at 9:30 a.m. after walking with a colleague from our hotel. On our way, we had stopped briefly at the War Memorial as we talked about upcoming Remembrance Day activities in Halifax.
I had man...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/from-the-admin-chair/big-ideas-require-many-partners/
The Associate
Accepting alternative ways to communicate our research.
As I recently read through external reviewers’ reports of a submission to a book series I edit, my horror mounted. A reviewer, exhausted after three pages of scathing prose, had resorted to quoting sentences from the manuscript and appending mocking asides. A quote, and then “(Yawn).” A quote,...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-associate/peer-review-discontents/
Margin Notes
This past Sunday, Nov. 2, I spent several hours in the company of Continue reading in Montebello, Quebec. The 3M fellowships are the highest honour in Canada for teaching excellence in p...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/honours-and-new-support-for-exemplary-teachers/
Margin Notes
Two conferences are being held this month in Toronto on the issue.
Internationalization continues to be a hot topic within the postsecondary education sector in Canada, as evidenced by not one, but two, upcoming conferences on the topic. And a couple new reports – one generally supportive of the trend and the other mildly cautious – will no doubt add fodder to ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/internationalization-of-higher-ed-remains-a-hot-topic-in-canada/
Margin Notes
They’re all the rage, but are we rushing things a bit?
Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are certainly all the rage in higher education reporting. Barely a day goes by where I don’t see a new article or opinion piece exclaiming how they will dramatically change what universities do. In this morning’s New York Times
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/the-massive-hype-of-moocs/
Margin Notes
That, in so many words, is the conclusion of a new Council of Canadian Academies report.
A Mari Usque Ad Mare. That, of course, is the motto for Canada, “From sea to sea.” But it should really be “From sea to sea to sea,” in recognition that we are bordered by three ocean basins, not two. We also, incidentally, have the world’s longest coastline.
That’s all to say ...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/margin-notes/canada-adrift-in-ocean-science/
The Black Hole
networking stem cell researchers, they also provide information about stem cell research to the public
Granting Councils - have become more active in promoting science and science literacy to the public through such initiatives as NSERC's
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/science-outreach/
The Black Hole
In light of the one year anniversary, we've decided to bring a little more organization to the quarterly summaries that will make a little more succinct, as their main purpose is to help the not-so-regular reader find the articles and links that might interest them. Any feedback on these summar...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/quarterly-summary-the-one-year-anniversary/
The Black Hole
Quick Hit: Earlier this week, I published a blog entry with the Stem Cell Network on scientists holding back the details of their data prior to publication entitled:
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/look-mom-i-can-do-pcr-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-formal-undergraduate-research-programs/
The Black Hole
Happy 2011 everyone - we hope you've all enjoyed 2010 and are looking forward to engaging you on many new (and old) issues in the coming year. It's been a great quarter for us with increased traffic despite a slightly lower number of posts. Dave has signed up for twitter
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/quarterly-summary-black-hole-2-0/
The Black Hole
Over the past 15 years, there has been an enormous shift in the human resources completing scientific research. The training period has lengthened significantly and adjustments must be made to address the growing concerns of young scientists. Many individuals, who do not have permanent positio...
https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/our-blog-for-early-career-scientists-hello-to-ua-readers/
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