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{45}

I came across a blog post on Higher Ed titled The next target. The article started with the announcement by University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa enforcing the 20-hour workload per week on graduate students to avoid paying costly health care fee. It is reported that “nationally many graduate students work long hours – longer than officially recommended by their universities” for various reasons.  I remembered one past GTA’s talk during phase I of the GTA training at the beginning of the semester. He shared some past experience of staying up late to grade homework and answer emails from students. I was a little bit doubtful of the heavy work load I was going to expect as GTA. Having gone through a very stressful masters program, I thought I would be able to manage my time well. However, the past two months of GTA experience was definitely more than what I expected. I am TAing for a core course for the first-year master students. Beside grading a stack of homework every week and holding up office hours, the extra time spent in answering students’ questions outside class and by emails also takes a significant amount of time. And of course as a graduate student myself, I have a 3 credit hours course workload in additional to my research work in the lab. At the beginning of the semester, I made the resolution to pick up French as a personal goal. However, after I scheduled my classes, group meetings, office hours, lab time etc. on my calendar, I realized I had to put off the idea of taking French class. But my schedule is still much better compared to some of my TA friends who have to teach two back-to-back lab sessions twice a week in addition to their own classes and research work.

Deeply embedded in our culture, there is a relentless pursuit for more and for better. It is especially prominent as people get more educated and have a higher standard of living. A recent Economist article, title Get a life, showed that in US the rich are working longer hours while the poor are working less hours. As people become more informed, we are more aware of the immense opportunities that existed. Thanks to modern technologies and rapid flow of information, many previously unconceivable ideas are rendered possible if we are willing in to put in the hard work to realize the ideas. As a graduate student, I get constant inspiration by successful high-achievers, from the professors in my department who have published countless journals in prestigious journals, from the extraordinary visiting speakers, from the people I met in conferences and not to mention the geniuses featured in TED talks. While I am excited about the opportunities lying ahead of me, sometimes, it could also be a little bit confusing and depressing to see how little I have accomplished so far. To compensate, I would feel compelled to fill my day with more activities to get more things done. However, trying to get more things done without a clear plan often lands me in the wrong direction or even in the opposite direction. Many articles alert people of the extra price to pay for multitasking, but it still remains as a big productivity killer for many who tried to pack too many into the limited 24/7 schedule.  Multitasking indeed gets people nowhere besides making oneself looking extremely hectic and lost.

I am also not surprised to read that some of the biggest academic hoaxers are seen as workaholics by their peers before their scandals broke out. Indeed it is because they are so fixated on getting more work out there, they lost the true definition of the scholarship. With the genuine self-motivation and external pressure to churn out more papers with less time, there is definitely less time for thorough thought on experimental design, quality control and verification of the experimental data. As a result, while the total number of the papers out there is increasing exponentially, the amount of useful quality information may not be increasing in proportion.  Moreover, poorly conducted research could even cause greater damage by sending mixed or even downright wrong messages to the public and the research community.

Beside the lost of productivity, a lopsided work life also takes great toll on people’s well being, both physical and psychological. The ill effects of a workaholic breakdown are reported in an article on Psychology Today, including chronic fatigue, depression and suicidal tendency. In another interesting study done to find out who are the heaviest coffee drinkers in the workplace in US, Scientist/Lab Technician tops the list while education administrator and professor are at the third and eighth places. The list, together with findings from another research project, which aims, to the working habit of scientists concluded “scientists work a lot.”

Below is some alarming findings from the research team.

“Scientific achievements are accompanied by intense competition and pressure, which requires a large supply of time and efforts. On the other hand, the demanding assessment from the institution makes the working atmosphere even tenser. Scientists today are spending much more time working than initially intended. They are deprioritizing their hobbies, leisure activities, and regular exercises, which negatively influenced their mental and physical health. Meanwhile, engagement in scientific research after work directly leads to the ambiguity of the boundary between home and office. This investigation on scientists’ timetable may in some ways call attention to the unwritten rule of working overtime in academia. As is generally agreed, research is not a sprint but a marathon. Balance in scientists’ life is needed.”

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(Source: http://www.phdcomics.com)

 

 

 

 

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The power of random talks {1,395}

Friday was the first time that I personally attended a speech given by a Nobel laureate. Dr. Steven Chu’s message was thought-provoking in many ways. Coming from a solid scientist background and later served in the political administration, he has both the passion to advocate state-of-art scientific research and a balanced inclusion of the perspective as a well-informed politician. There are many takeaways from his speech. Among which, one particular concept I found very interesting and empathized strongly is his sharing of their daily lunch time scientific meetings at Bell Lab. Related to the same concept is the story of the café culture in Bio-X in Stanford. The key idea behind the less formal and hence less restrictive communication setting is to encourage knowledge spillover across different but related disciplines.

Before starting my graduate school, my expectation of the life of a typical Ph.D. student was probably among the most socially exclusive category. It is a widely accepted perception that the graduate student body is not considered as actively involved in extra-curricular activities as the undergraduates. Comparing to people employed in the non-academic occupations, the interactive and social elements are thought to be peripheral to one’s success in graduate school.  My advisor and a few close lab mates and the technicians are probably going to be the people I will need to handle throughout the next four or five years. I was mentally preparing myself for that kind of a solitary lifestyle at the very beginning of graduate school application.

To my surprise, the reality was not quite close to my expectation. Although my masters was a research-based course, I did not end up with burying myself in the lab all the time. In the classes we were required to take, there was always a good diversity of the students from a different background. In more than one classes, the professors would spend some time every class to ask the students to share some of the latest news and discoveries in a related field or could even be out of pure interest. The program overall and the faculty also had the underlying values to connect us the students to new ideas and resources. At Virginia Tech, I also felt strongly that some of most enlightening moments I had in the past one month are not in formal classes but rather through attending various seminars, workshops and just talking to people with interesting ideas.

It is a noted trend that science and research today are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Research by Ben Jones, a professor at Northwestern University, showed that levels of teamwork have increased in more than 955 of scientific subfields and the average team size has increased by 20% each decade. It is used to be that the most cited work was the product of a single genius, like Einstein or Darwin, but now it is shown that papers with multiple authors are twice more likely to be cited by those by individual authors. As the research in each field becomes more specialized while the nature of the problems are becoming more complex, collaboration and discussion across disciplines to search for interdisciplinary solutions are becoming irreplaceable.

Before going to M.I.T. for my masters’ degree, I have heard of the famous “magical incubator” Building 20 which was regarded as the center of groundbreaking research at M.I.T. A little research on the history of this magical building reveals some essential ingredients behind the huge success. Before being known as the flagship research center, Building 20 started as a temporary structure and then evolved to host scientists from an array of domains due to extreme limitations of spaces after WW II. However, it is also because of the concoction that it sparked the creativity of each and every individual in the buildings, tearing down the walls between that hinders synergistic intellectual exchange. When high quality people are given the right time and space, even seemingly errant conservations will make sense and bring in surprises.

 

 

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Studying Chinese Philosophy in America {62}

One article on the Most Viewed list on The Chronicle of Higher Education this week that caught my attention is titled Chinese Philosophy Lifts Off in America. The topic is also related to the theme of global perspectives of higher education we are going to discuss in class this week. The article starts with the news on the 40-year anniversary of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy, a peer-reviewed journal that was founded and managed as a one-man show by the Chinese scholar, Chung-Ying Cheng in 1963. The 3680-word article walks the readers through the journey of the development of Chinese philosophy studies in the American higher educational institutes.  It highlights the recent fever in studying classical Chinese philosophy (although the validity to use the word philosophy to describe the ancient Eastern school of thought is argued in the article) not only in the States but also from most of the western countries. In July, leading intellectuals and thinkers,  from both the East and the West,  gathered in the University of Buffalo to attend the 18th conference of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy, although many of them may not have specialized area of expertise in Chinese Philosophy studies but are definitely intrigued by the revived interest to study this ancient oriental wisdom. As noted by a Chinese-born professor, Jiyuan Yu, who is highly regarded for his work in ancient Greek philosophy, that a particular area of interest is comparative study between the ancient Chinese philosophy and the Greek philosophy from which the western philosophical system is mostly based upon.  Preliminary results suggest there are surprisingly more similarities rather the perceived differences. The deep resonance between the Chinese philosophy, represented by Confucianism, and the Greek philosophy, represented by the Aristotle, is epitomized in the concept of virtue ethics, which is also a subject that is gaining attention in contemporary academia.

The article is also very forthcoming in pointing out the reason behind the sharp increase in the number of native Chinese scholars who leave the mainland to study a subject purely originated from China. Traditionally, it is considered as a prestigious path to go abroad, mostly US and UK, to pursue higher education in science and engineering. Apparently, to work in countries which communicate in English and which have laboratories well-equipped with the state-of-art equipment is a very attractive and easily understandable option. However, when it comes to the pursuit of the Chinese philosophy, the reason does not seem to be so straightforward. Private interviews with many Chinese scholars in the States unanimously suggest that, beyond the better scholarly resources, the liberal and innovative academic environment is the most attractive reason that draws them here.  In another article on The Chronicle, reporting on the a possible expulsion case of an economics professor in Peking University due to his outspoken behavior in promoting academic freedom and democratic  changes,  it is noted that discussion on seven topics, including human rights, civil society and the historical mistakes of the Chinese Communist Party, that  are fundamental to any discipline of social sciences are banned in all university classrooms in China.  Personal stories from my friends studying in China also confirmed that ideological and political classes and camps are part of the core curriculum of any major. However, almost everyone takes it for granted that they are purely pro forma. For anyone who has been following the latest Chinese Presidential Election which ended this March, it is clear that why the new President is exercising strong political pressure in the universities, in particular the prestigious and well-regarded ones.  Together with infamous internet censorship, the Chinese universities, even the best ones, do not sound like a good place where original, sophisticated and independent work can be developed.

As a native Chinese, it is a very sad fact to see that our most treasured heritage, now is best studied in a foreign language. It is good that our culture has been shared on a global level (or what the Chinese government is trying to brand as the new soft power), but still I believe that there are definitely going to be things lost in translation. As many similarities as all human being share, it is the unique historical development and the ensuing differences that ultimately define our identities.

 

 

 

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What takes to attend Harvard? {154}

Start of a new academic year is the time of the year for performance evaluation and reflection, goal-setting and value-positioning for both individual students and t the educational institutes. It might be especially crucial to assess some of their fundamental values and hopefully start to take firm actions to change things.  According to a survey conducted by Harvard Crimson, the university newspaper, ten percent of Harvard’s incoming freshman class admitted to cheating on exams, and another 42 percent admitted to cheating on a homework assignment or problem set. If the numbers do not give a vivid account of magnitude of what the latest survey result reflects, a mind picture of walking into a cheater for every 10 students you encounter in Harvard is indeed very disturbing. Despite the already high numbers, there is some suspicious voice believing that the real numbers could be even higher. Teresa Fishman, the director of the International Center for Academic Integrity, commented that,  “We have reason to believe that students who cheat might also lie about cheating. ” The results hit the headlines of all the major newspaper agencies, the reaction was a mixed of angst, sarcasm and sadness. A Harvard alumnus Matthew Yglesias lamented in The Slate’s headline that “Harvard’s Incoming Freshman Class is Full of Cheaters.” The LA Times also ridiculed that “Can’t wait for one of them to become president”.  This new shockwave certainly does not help Harvard in recovering from the 2012 Cheating Scandal  where 125 undergraduates, that accounts for 2 percent of the cohort, was accused to have collaborated or copied from each other on a take-home final exam. Beyond sharing of homework solutions, there is also more shocking news of the Harvard Medical School researcher fabricating data. The series of incidents of academic dishonesty cannot help but make the public start to question the fundamental culture of honesty and academic integrity in one of the most respected educational institutes in the world.

As the mode of learning in the higher institutions becomes more versatile, students are encouraged to go beyond the conventional classroom-and-textbook learning style in their quest for knowledge. Internet, smartphone installed with high-tech apps, new tools for resource sharing and the rising emphasis on teamwork are drastically challenging the conventional academic code of honor. In a commentary related to the cheating episode on The Boston Globe, it is mentioned that a formal academic honor code does not even exist among many of the top universities such as Yale, MIT and Harvard as it is expected that students should know the basic intellectual values even without a textbook code of conduct. When Harvard was trying to re-emphasize the importance of those values by introducing a voluntary pledge on “integrity, respect and industry” in 2010, the act was received a mix of sarcasm and indifference and was later scraped. Admittedly, it is even becoming increasingly hard to come up a foolproof book of academic code to define every boundary of the academic ethical issues in this ever-shifting academic paradigm. Yet, the recent waves of cheating news demand the institutes and even the society together to make some efforts in defining the lines. In a recent BBC article which aims to reveal some of the hideous aspects of human nature, it described “the recipe for harmful behavior as a combining results of stress, poor or absent guidelines, a strict hierarchy with dissociation from others and from the consequences of our actions, established group culture and lack of oversight.” More enlightening, it also points out the opposite recipe for good conducts which consists of “remove stress and moral uncertainty, promote leadership ahead of dictatorship, introduce collaboration, guidelines, support, keep humanity’s humanity and action’s consequences in view”.  Not every ingredient may apply to the realm of fostering good academic integrity, but it definitely provides a comprehensive guideline to frame all ethical issues. Clearly, making the messages loud and clear to the student is a good step to start with.

However, it is understandable that academic ethics, as a subset of the broader ethical issues, could never be laid out clearly as black-and-white. Most of the time, the concern taps on to the intrinsic values of the parties engaged. When the situation is in the shades of the grey, it ultimately depends on oneself to internalize the underlying universal ethical values and act accordingly. Hence, even when the grey area is not well defined by the “negative face of ethics”, a concept mentioned in “Engineering Ethics” by Harris, Pritchard and Rabins, it is not an excuse to cut the corners.  To effectively tackle academic dishonesty in higher education, the university administration could be more effective in leverage on the “positive face”. It definitely requires more maturity and autonomy from both the administration and the students. However, once the culture of a conducive and honest academic environment is formed, it is something fundamentally beneficial.

 

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Open Access Resources, Exciting! {51}

My first experience with this ingenious concept of open sharing of materials and resources for academic purposes was when I was doing my masters at MIT.  When I first found out almost all the courses I was taking and the companying class notes, assignment, even past year exam papers could be easily found at the this website known as the MIT Open CourseWare (OCW) by everyone, my immediate and crude response was “What is the point of paying such a high tuition fee to have access to exactly the same materials?!” Even though I was getting my notes from my professors on the password-required Scholar website, I actually often go to that course website on OCW to preview the lecture notes for future classes to better prepare myself for pop questions in classes. Still, I felt kind of cheated for the tuition fee paid which, of course, looking back from now, I have no regret at all. As I started to explore around OCW beyond my classes, I became addicted to this website and these ideas of generous knowledge sharing and empowerment.

This unconventional way of learning outside classroom just kept giving me delightful surprises. For my master thesis project, I decided to embark on a new field of environmental modeling and simulation. Unlike of conducting laboratory experiments to collect data and verify hypothesis, modeling requires a stronger background on the computing languages and coding experience, which I did not have much at that time. I would have give up on that budding interest if it was not because a classmate told me about the wonderful course on Introduction to MATLAB Programming on OCW. It was rated and reviewed by avid independent learner from all over the world as the best course to give one a good start on programming with computers. Open access materials leaves out the pressure of class attendance, logistics issues and assignment deadlines etc. Instead, I had more flexibility in structuring the study contents and the pace. The extra autonomy indeed makes more to think more clearly about what I need to know about MATLAB to enable me to apply it in my project. It turned out to a very efficient self-learning experience. Beside taking the technical courses, I also took great pleasure in the browsing the subjects that interest me greatly but could not take due to credit limits or time clashes, such as some interdisciplinary courses on sustainable concepts and designs, musical and philosophical classes etc. I knew I would not have the courage to take any of the classes for credits for very practical reasons of damping my GPA. OCW provides people who shared the same concern with me a great way to be exposed to the right amount of awareness of certain topics as the learners desire.

Before writing this blog, I have not visited the MIT OCW for a long time. However, when I went on to the website, I felt the same stimulation to realize I could take so many great courses for free. Despite my piled deadlines, I still registered for two more courses that I just could not resist, Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness and Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science.  MIT, in collaboration with some the best universities in the world, even came up with the edX program to offer more structured and interactive virtual courses, free to every one. It is indeed exhilarating news to any self-driven learner.  Better time management is what I need to allow me make the more out of this ever-expanding knowledge pool.

A relevant journal I found from the list of Open Access Journal in the field of environmental sciences is Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) ,  supported from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is a well-regarded peer-reviewed publication for its academic values. Not only all its content is available online for free, selected articles are translated into other languages for publication outside the States.  I used to only rely on the institution-power search engine to find database and journals. For my new research interest on evaluating the life cycle path and health and environmental impacts of emerging nanoparticles, EHP is definitely a valuable place I will look for information. I am excited about what exploration with the new class of Open Access Journal.

I was also surprised to find many of the Open Access Week events are held in VT. Many of the workshops caught my attention even after a brief glance. I will definitely take note of the dates and follow up with my experience in the blog once I get the chance to attend one.

 

 

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How university mission statements are similar and different? {1,261}

Before writing this blog, I have always been confused about the commonly appeared terms in the “About Us” section on the universities’ home page. There are, essentially, motto, vision, mission and sometimes, core values, action plans, goals and objectives. A motto is easier to tell from the rest due to its universal agreement on the succinctness. It usually appears as a short phrase or even a single word such as the famous Harvard motto “Veritas”. However, the line between vision and mission statements never seemed to be distinctive to me. So part of the mission of this blog is to help myself to clarify the two terms.

Across my research, I found this website particularly helpfully in analyzing and explaining the differences between the two terms. It also provides a comprehensive comparative list of the key elements underlying these two concepts. Mission Statement VS Vision Statement . Incorporating online sources and my own interpretation, I think, in summary, vision statement sets the ultimate goals of an institute and serves to “North Star” to inspire while mission statement outlines the identity and the current tasks and pathways to achieve the shared vision. Both statements need to address certain defining questions, but the length and the style of writing can vary greatly.

A simple search of the mission statement online yields a wide spectrum of mission statements of varying format, specificity, length, use of language, purposes and even ages. The most common debate seems to center around how long a mission statement needs to be to be effective. While the conventional wisdom seems to prefer the long and highly elaborated style, there is a recent movement towards shorter and nimbler mission statements. Kevin Kiley made a case for shorter college mission statements in Inside Higher Education. In his article, “Saying More With Less”, he advocated the creation of shorter and more impactful forms of university-wide mission statements by highlight some pioneer works of the short statements. The upside of this new approach is obvious. It is easy to understand and hence to be remembered and to be incorporated into the daily actions. Besides, on a more practical note, a shorter mission statement has more popular advertising appeal. It could be used more convenient to expand the influence circle of an institution. Because of these attractive traits, the shorter path has begun to be preferred by many innovative universities, in particular those with a strong focus. While I agree with his position, I think there is still a place for the classical long versions.

The 220-word mission statement of Harvard provides a classic example of the conventional mission statement. Despite the length, this mission statement is only for Harvard College, the undergraduate program. Currently, there is not a formal mission statement for Harvard University, which encompasses the College, the graduate schools and other, affiliated bodies and institution. Given the length, the readers can still tell the writers strived to keep the statement succinct from the use of works such as “in brief”. However, it is also understandable that as one of the oldest and most respected college, the mission statement of Harvard has to be answerable to a very large and diverse group of audience. It has to address what the College, as a collective body of more than 40 fields of studies, strives to do and the way to do it. Although the academic objectives of the department of anthropology differ hugely from that of computer science, the mission statement unifies the various departments under the overarching goal of creating knowledge and enlightening minds. The way to excel in any concentration of studies is also identified by laying out the fundamental principles to create a highly conducive academic environment. Essential ideas such as “academic freedom”, “lifelong learning”, “liberating full potential”, are emphasized to effectively convey the message. Overall, as the readers ruminate over the passage, it could instill in them a sense of prestige and inspiration to be part of or associated with this institute.

Mission Statement of Harvard College

“Harvard College adheres to the purposes for which the Charter of 1650 was granted: “The advancement of all good literature, arts, and sciences; the advancement and education of youth in all manner of good literature, arts, and sciences; and all other necessary provisions that may conduce to the education of the … youth of this country….” In brief: Harvard strives to create knowledge, to open the minds of students to that knowledge, and to enable students to take best advantage of their educational opportunities. To these ends, the College encourages students to respect ideas and their free expression, and to rejoice in discovery and in critical thought; to pursue excellence in a spirit of productive cooperation; and to assume responsibility for the consequences of personal actions. Harvard seeks to identify and to remove restraints on students’ full participation, so that individuals may explore their capabilities and interests and may develop their full intellectual and human potential. Education at Harvard should liberate students to explore, to create, to challenge, and to lead. The support the College provides to students is a foundation upon which self-reliance and habits of lifelong learning are built: Harvard expects that the scholarship and collegiality it fosters in its students will lead them in their later lives to advance knowledge, to promote understanding, and to serve society.

Harry R. Lewis
Dean of Harvard College
February 23, 1997”

Another institute, which also adopts the long, approach but with a different style is the College of Computer Science at University of Texas at Austin. Compared to Harvard College, this college has a much more defined scope and focus. This is clearly reflected in the mission statement. The 195-word passage is pivoted on the essential and unique qualities of the computer science. It defines the roles of the technology and of the Department and relates that to the society. Instead of listing the fundamental academic spirits, this statement highlights the specific skills pertinent to the computer science such as “software and hardware tools”, “research laboratory”, “practical technical skills”. Instead of a continuous prose, this statement resembles more like a bulletin format. The shorter bulletin form also makes each message stand out even to a quick reader.

Mission Statement of College of Computer Science at University of Texas at Austin

“Computer science is at the intellectual forefront of the digital revolution that will define the 21st century. That revolution is in its infancy but is visible all around us. New scientific, economic and social paradigms are arising from computing science and being felt across all sectors of the economy and society at large.

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin is a recognized leader in the creation of scientific knowledge and practical technologies that are defining this historic transformation. Our mission is to supply the people and ideas that will shape this new frontier.

The jobs of tomorrow will use technologies not yet invented. Many of the software and hardware tools that enable these technologies are being invented by our faculty and students. Such innovation requires dedication to learning, in the classroom, in the research laboratory, and throughout one’s professional career.

Scientific discovery and technological innovation require mastery of the fundamentals of computing science as well as mastery of practical technical skills.

At the Department of Computer Science, we offer a unique educational opportunity for students to achieve excellence in both through rigorous classes and participation in cutting edge research.”

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Hello world! {15}

Welcome to Blogs@VT Sites. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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