Question for earth scientists

[pgwenthold]

Well, this afternoon he sent an email to one and all asking us to submit our research program for the next 5 years so that he can look for linkages and communalities. GROAN

I'd write something so arbitrary and esoteric that no one has a friggin clue what I was talking about. Oh, and very short. It's not like this is a yearly report that impacts salary/promotion aspects. Oh, and if I were a full professor, I wouldn't write anything at all, except maybe "No, thanks."

This guy is wasting your time. If you have work that could lead to collaborations, and, more importantly, if you want collaborations, you will seek them out and find them.

I went after our dean on this issue. All this talk about collaboration is great for those who are doing things well suited for interdisciplinary collaboration and who want to do so, but there are a lot of people who's work is not something that crosses ID boundaries very well, and they can't be forced to do so. Are they becoming second class citizens? Are we getting considered sub-standard because we don't have collaborations with people in other departments? Interdisciplinary work is great for some and not for others. As far as I've seen, for those for whom it works, they do it without the dean forcing anything. For the others, you don't want them to do it.

Yeah, if I thought hard about it, I could probably find some way in which we could do something that might contribute to what others are doing in vice-versa. However, it would require changing the focus of what we are doing. We have skills that might help you. But I would prefer those skills help us first.

 

[tedly]

Transdisciplinary oops

Can a non PhD glider pilot throw in a little something here?

In soaring these terms come in to refer to upslope and downslope winds as generated by the sun's heat on the surfaces.

As I recall, diabatic is the wind generated up the valley as the slopes warm (giving lift therefore goood) and catabatic is the downslope flow caused as the rocks cool and chill the air. This puts you on the ground quickly - bad catabatic wind.

Living on the prairie, I'm not very conversant with these terms and effects, I could have the terms backwards.

I know of one thesis that would have greatly benefitted from some review outside its own department. It is frequently quoted by politicians in this country, and 'shows' that women and men are equally violent in relationships to each other. But I will not hijack.