The greatest improvement in the productive powers of labour, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgement with which it is any where directed, or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labour. These are the first words in The Wealth of Nations by Adam[…]
Guess what? The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies approved legislation last Wednesday that cuts into the budgets of the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and various other science-related grant programs. I realize that the deficit is an issue, but we have[…]
In my previous article, I hope that I made it exceedingly clear that working conditions in graduate-level research have gone off the rails. So now, what do we do about it? Where can we go? Are we totally screwed? No.
I consider myself lucky when it comes to graduate school life. I have everything in balance, and I feel that my productivity and creativity are enhanced by this fact. I owe a large part of this to the culture of my research group, and I am thankful to my adviser[…]