Comments on: Grant Funding Supersedes Pursuit Of Truth http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:20:35 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Curt http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20998 Curt Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:01:41 +0000 http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20998 Great comment David, and right on. Scientists should always be asking questions thats why it should offend them ALL when people like Gore say the debate is over. It's never over and when scientists rely on these grants for their welfare it does take on, like you said, the smell of fraud. Great comment David, and right on. Scientists should always be asking questions thats why it should offend them ALL when people like Gore say the debate is over. It’s never over and when scientists rely on these grants for their welfare it does take on, like you said, the smell of fraud.

]]> By: David http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20899 David Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:28:31 +0000 http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20899 It's acceptable to fund one, two, or three RA positions with a grant, that's how it's normally done. For one's own salary, paying departmental bills, etc., I would say that's walking the fine line of fraud. Doing research, in the university setting, is the way to be promoted from a non-tenured to a tenured faculty position, and to maintain one's value to his/her university. One of my undergraduate chemistry professors was let go because he failed to produce research of any kind during his seven years as a faculty member. The ability to obtain a grant, particularly in the hard sciences, is not an easy task. It needs to show the line of research will advance knowledge in that particular area, but also it breaks new ground. Not merely to reconfirm what is already known, or to be a self-fulfilling confirmation of a hypothesis. That new ground must be reproducible in another lab setting, etc. as part of the peer review process. If it can't, it's garbage. A good scientist, regardless of field, should always be asking questions. With regard to "global warming," none of this was (is being) done. It’s acceptable to fund one, two, or three RA positions with a grant, that’s how it’s normally done. For one’s own salary, paying departmental bills, etc., I would say that’s walking the fine line of fraud. Doing research, in the university setting, is the way to be promoted from a non-tenured to a tenured faculty position, and to maintain one’s value to his/her university. One of my undergraduate chemistry professors was let go because he failed to produce research of any kind during his seven years as a faculty member.

The ability to obtain a grant, particularly in the hard sciences, is not an easy task. It needs to show the line of research will advance knowledge in that particular area, but also it breaks new ground. Not merely to reconfirm what is already known, or to be a self-fulfilling confirmation of a hypothesis. That new ground must be reproducible in another lab setting, etc. as part of the peer review process. If it can’t, it’s garbage.

A good scientist, regardless of field, should always be asking questions.

With regard to “global warming,” none of this was (is being) done.

]]> By: Dan http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20878 Dan Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:45:06 +0000 http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/02/28/grant-funding-supersedes-pursuit-of-truth/#comment-20878 That's a Robert Graves hypothesis. The body of knowledge in the scientific community is so large and detailed that research is carreid out in sub sub sub specializations. A vast bureaucracy. Not quite a religion though. That’s a Robert Graves hypothesis. The body of knowledge in the scientific community is so large and detailed that research is carreid out in sub sub sub specializations. A vast bureaucracy. Not quite a religion though.

]]>