Science Communications in Context

Dr. Thorsten Beck on Image Manipulation Research at Humboldt

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

New video featuring Dr. Thorsten Beck and image manipulation research at the HEADT Centre — Humboldt-Elsevier Advanced Data and Text Centre. I will use this video in my next doctoral student ethics course.

Posted in Academic Integrity, Doctoral Instruction, Science Communications Research | Comments Off

ERC Starting Grant Problematics

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

A thoughful commentary from Dr. Michael J. Bojdys regarding ERC starting grants and doctoral/postdoc education in the Czech context:

Reformists in the Czech Republic are asking for help and legitimacy….One way would be by empowering Czech universities in a ‘Czech Association of Institutions of Higher Education’ whose declared statutes should be: (1) freedom and indivisibility of research and teaching, and (2) care for young academics. Such an institution should act as political, economic and legal lobby for institutions of higher education in front of policy-makers and society. They should also provide information services and seminars to guide young academics; especially if their home institutions lack proper mentoring and good academic practices.

Posted in Doctoral Instruction, Research Showcasing, Science Education, University Rankings | Comments Off

Letter to Improve Education Exemption

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

EBLIDA, the European Bureau of Library, Information, and Document Associations, together with 34 other organizations has drafted a letter calling for an improved education exemption in the proposed DSM directive.

Additional Reading:

Full letter
EBLIDA Copyright reform backgrounder

Posted in EU Copyright | Comments Off

Nethlerlands Follows German Lead on Open Access

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

Interview with Dutch scientific publishing negotiator, Koen Becking:

In the end we’re talking about taxpayer money, which should be used to the benefit of society.

Posted in Open Access, Open Science | Comments Off

In Memorium, Ben Barres (1955-2017)

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

An elegant tribute to close mentorship and gender equality advocate Ben Barres, neurobiologist.

Excerpt:

Barres devoted much of his last decade to publicly describing the challenges he had faced as a woman in science, and offering ways to correct a system that he viewed as fundamentally biased against the advancement of women and minorities. He also called for mentors to be held more accountable for the training and success of their graduate students and postdocs.

Additional Reading:

Barres, B.A. (2017). Stop Blocking Postdocs’ Paths to Success. Nature 548 (7669). 517–519. doi:10.1038/548517a

Posted in Academic Integrity, Doctoral Instruction, Science Education | Comments Off

Digital Deceit

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Stephanie Krueger

Well worth a read (applicable not just to journalism anymore!); excerpt:

The central problem is that the entire industry is built to leverage sophisticated technology to aggregate user attention and sell advertising.

https://www.newamerica.org/public-interest-technology/policy-papers/digitaldeceit/

Posted in Academic Integrity, Research Showcasing | Comments Off

OECD Publishes New Report on International Research Networks

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Stephanie Krueger

December 2017 report, Co-ordination and support of open international research networks:

International research data networks are critical for progress in many scientific domains and underpin efforts to promote Open Science. At the same time, many of these networks are fragile and the responsibilities for their support and performance are frequently distributed across a variety of different actors. This report explores the challenges and enablers for the effective functioning of international research data networks.

Posted in Data Repositories, Open Science | Comments Off

Recent G7 Science Ministers’ Communiqué

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Stephanie Krueger

I highly recommend reading the G7 Science Ministers’ Communiqué dated 28 September 2017. At times, the day-to-day struggle of educating young scientists in today’s world can seem so daunting. It’s at least refreshing to read a clear message outlining where science, as a global endeavor, needs to go. Included are statements supporting inclusion, the need for cultures which foster research integrity, as well as those cultivating trans-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary research.

Thank you for making my day, G7 Science Ministers’ Communiqué!

Posted in Science Education | Comments Off