Time to introduce double-blind review into grant proposal evaluation?
Dutch RCT finds that withholding grant proposal from judges (& just giving them cv & abstract) did not affect rankings. Resources devoted to writing & evaluating grants may not have the intended effect of optimizing selection of the most promising science. link.springer.com/article/10…
What we do — and don’t — know about how misinformation spreads online nature.com/articles/d41586-0…
"It is logically impossible to (a) hold moral high ground, (b) to do nothing in response to past responsibilities; and (c) to claim to be in favor of global poverty reduction."
Should poor countries remain poor? open.substack.com/pub/branko…
No need for yet more mystification of the problem - there is plenty of people who have a pretty good idea of what education (also university) is (and is not) for. – at Trondheim, Norway
“What’s needed is … an honest debate about exactly what – and who – a modern university education is really for. Right now, that’s the essay question to which nobody seems to have a clear answer” theguardian.com/commentisfre…
"Any form of university education that claims its quality is demonstrated through commercial university rankings has been mis-sold."
Rank hypocrisy - how universities betray their promises on responsible research assessment wonkhe.com/blogs/rank-hypocr… via @wonkhe
Vedran Zerjav retweeted
This is a very important converation for project policy. Project failures (beyond budget overruns, etc.) cost lives long-term as they hinder new, healthy, vital projects.
Vedran Zerjav retweeted
Manchester’s researchers are on a mission to tackle some of the UK’s most challenging resilience and security problems. They've just been awarded £4.2 million to help build a secure world. @UKRI_News
manchester.ac.uk/discover/ne…
The strength of a research field hinges on the work of its reviewers. But too often we forget good reviews are a result of training, experience, and constructively critical supportiveness. Definitely not only about 'expertise'. science.org/content/article/…
Vedran Zerjav retweeted
Via Scott Long.
For those interested, I've uploaded my entire library of books on Palestine/Israel to the cloud, in digital form (mostly pdf and epub) so you can access them. It's a little over 1700 books, a lot of them good and important, some of them historical or political curiosities. Nearly all are in English, I'm afraid. You can download any that interest you individually, or the whole library (about 13 GB). And feel free to share this. Link: drive.google.com/drive/folde…
"I am reminded of what silence can do and how long it can haunt a place and a people." theguardian.com/commentisfre…
There seems to be barely noticeable disconnect between policy and its implementation into practice. But worry not, the diagram also suggests that the future is bright 😠.
If you combine analysis by scholars like @dannydorling (e.g. theguardian.com/business/202…) and climate scientists like @Peters_Glen - who prepared the graphic below (using IPCC data) - you get a picture of the absolutely wild times that lay ahead. And yet... 1/
indeed
"A demand for conclusions is an expression of a desperate hope to hoard love for the future, which will be marked by loss." @SashaHemon on living at the end of time. lithub.com/aleksandar-hemon-…
Vedran Zerjav retweeted
Utrecht University @UniUtrecht in the Netherlands has withdrawn itself from the World University ranking @THEworldunirank provided by @timeshighered. As this has generated quite some reactions - praise, questions, some doubts, I want to provide some context. Hence a thread 🧵1/16
Some good news (for change)- this is a very good move. It will be interesting to observe how many of the global elite institutions will follow and choose to withdraw from a system that helps reinforce their position on the top.
sciencebusiness.net/news/uni…
I liked this op-ed. quite a balanced view too.
prospectmagazine.co.uk/polit… – at Raray, France
This marvel is in my home town. Funny how we take things for granted when they’re right there in front of you the whole time. – at Trondheim, Norway
#RuinoftheDay - The Arena of Pula in Croatia, one of the six largest Roman amphitheatres and best preserved. It is also the only remaining amphitheatre with four side towers on the external wall. Inside each was a wooden staircase leading to the top rows and to a water reservoir. The reservoirs were filled with collected rainwater that fed a fountain that sprinkled scented water on the spectators to cool them and on the arena to cover the smell of blood. Its capacity was 23,000.
We have a new PhD opening. NTNU is an excellent environment for the development of PhDs and research on projects and their management is one of our important streams of work. Please get in touch if you are interested so we can discuss potential projects.
jobbnorge.no/en/available-jo…
Vedran Zerjav retweeted
Weekend longread for the #sciencepolicy crowd.
@AnEmergentI and I have been digging at how good UK research really is. And have come up with some worrying findings....
S&T - Is the UK a world leader in science? jameswphillips.substack.com/…