I just finished reading a somewhat disheartening article on msnbc.com. I knew it was coming, but sadly, I don't think many people understand the implications of it.
The article (found here) discusses how with the recent budget wrangling, federally-funded research is expected to be cut, although it remains to be seen by how much.
I imagine that when most people think about cutting funding for research, they think about things like space exploration, etc. However, a lot of the money also goes to people like me, that is, researchers at Universities. At first glance, it may seem that I'm just worried that my gravy train is about to get cut off. While that is the case, to a degree, there's much more to it.
The common argument over cutting research funding usually boils down to "is this research of great enough importance to merit being funded by the federal government?" I don't want to get into this debate. Instead, I'd like to bring up a point that few people have considered, but in my mind, holds much greater concern for the future. It concerns the trickle-down effect of federal funding of research on higher education.
It's no secret that education in the US is significantly lagging other countries, and that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to attract students to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines, which are the areas where we are falling behind the most.
What I think few people realize is how federal funding from agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), directly impacts education in the STEM disciplines.
When someone decides to get a graduate degree in a STEM discipline, it's usually requires completion of a thesis. Most universities require this for a master's (and all do for a Ph.D.) because in all practicality, the education one gains from the course work is secondary to the education they'll gain from performing the research.
Now, the crux of this issue is, who funds the research? You guessed it, the vast majority of research being performed at universities in the STEM disciplines is being funded by federal agencies. In the 7 years I was in graduate school, I was funded by an NIH grant for 3 years, and an NSF grant for 2 years. As a post-doc, I'm currently funded by an NSF grant.
When a professor receives a grant, that money is used for 4 different things. 1) It pays the professor, 2) It pays the university, 3) It pays the student, 4) it pays for the research.
Let's discuss these:
1) Unbeknownst to most people, professors only get paid 9 months out of the year, although if you have any aspirations of getting tenure, you will work all 12 months, although technically you could take a summer vacation (no one does). You pay your salary for the remaining three months by getting grants. On each grant that you receive, you might pay yourself 1 month of salary. As a side note, you can't pay yourself more than three months worth of salary, regardless of how many grants you have. If you don't receive grants, you only get paid for 75% of your time. The salary as a professor isn't bad, but if you're only able to support yourself at 75%, financially, it becomes a losing proposition.
2) Every time a professor receives a grant, the university charges "overhead". This isn't applied to everything (e.g. student salaries and benefits are usually exempt), but everything else gets a premium tacked on. Universities typically charge in the neighborhood of 40%-80% overhead. In other words, if you want to buy that nice $5,000 computer for you lab, it actually "costs" more, because you pay $5,000 for the computer, and then the university takes 40%-80% of the cost. As you can see, a significant portion of grants go directly to the university to pay for operational costs, teaching costs, etc.
3) Research grants fund students. The only way to attract students to the STEM disciplines is to make graduate school a financially feasible option. To do this, grant money is used to pay the students tuition, as well as a small monthly stipend, and benefits. Without offsetting these costs, graduate school becomes a losing financial game. When I started graduate school at Purdue, my stipend was $18,000/year. That's what I got paid for doing research. However, it cost my advisor ~$75,000/year to fund me to cover costs like tuition and benefits. This is pretty typical. That money came from grants. Grants don't just fund graduate students either. It also provides undergraduates an opportunity to get exposure to research, and get excited about what they can do in the field. It also gives them invaluable learning experiences. I have an undergrad working with me this summer. She is the fourth undergrad that has had the opportunity to perform research with me because of a federal grant.
4) So you may be asking yourself, well, can't you just do research without funding? The short answer is "yes". The truthful answer, is "no". If you study math, and your only research costs are pencil and paper, yes it's feasible. But, in virtually all other cases, it is impossible to do research without money to pay for manufacturing costs, computers, data acquisition hardware, travel expenses for presenting research at conferences, journal publication costs, etc. My advisor just bought an LDV system for our lab. It's a laser-based method for measuring time-varying fluid velocities. It's absolutely critical for the type of research we do.We got a great deal on it. It cost about $135,000.00. Oh, and that doesn't include overhead.
So now, let's consider what happens when federal funding for research gets cut. First, professors don't get grants. That means they can't supplement their salary, so suddenly they take a 25% pay cut. All of a sudden being a professor doesn't look so attractive, so the top minds find a different field to work in. Now, without money, the professors that decide to stick around can't hire graduate students, because they can't fund them. That means less students attend graduate school in the STEM disciplines. It decreases opportunities to attract undergrads and younger individuals (our lab has had two high school students work with us the past two summers) to the STEM disciplines. In addition, universities don't bring in as much money. That means they need to make up the lost revenue somewhere. And that's accomplished by, you guessed it, raising tuition, making the cost of education even higher than what it currently is. This affects everyone, not just individuals in the STEM disciplines.
In short, consider this. Roughly 20 years ago, funding rates at NIH were around 25-30%. That is about 1/4 grants were funded. Today, funding rates are down around 15%-20%. The article I just read is suggesting they are likely to drop into the single digits. That means less than 1/10 professors at a university is actually bringing in funding from a particular agency.
In summary, cutting federal funding for research will have a devastating impact on higher education, but nobody seems to be talking about it. Contact your congressman and senator, and let them know that the United States can't afford to cut funding of the sciences.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Is soccer really a sport
Ok, I know I always give Baseball a hard time about not really being a sport. But after seeing this, I really have to wonder if you Soccer can be considered a sport. I mean, really??!!??
http://youtu.be/UsEbf-o83fc
http://youtu.be/UsEbf-o83fc
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Great Falls Park
Not to be outdone by my sister, Leigh and I decided to go hiking out at Great Falls park. Last fall I rode my bike out here along the canal tow path that parallels the Potomac. The park is about 15 miles above DC. The falls occurs as the river narrows from about 1/2 mile wide, to about 200 feet wide.
There are some great hiking trails around, so we decided we'd go run some trails for our Saturday morning exercise.
Before heading out we decided we'd run the 2 mile "Billy Goat" trail which is a spur off the tow path, which then connects back in with the towpath. We'd then run 2 miles back on the tow path for a total of 4 miles. The website warned the Billy Goat trail required some scrambling, and was a strenuous, advanced trail. But hey, this is D.C. right? Land of the softies?
We started off down the towpath, hit the start of the trail, hung a right onto the Billy Goat trail, ran for about 50 feet, and that was pretty much all of the running we did for the next 2 miles.
Here are some pictures of the "trail".
I use the word "trail" here very loosely. Of the approximate 2 miles, about 300 yards total could be constituted as a trail. The rest is basically a rock garden, with blue lines indicating the path. It was basically nothing but scrambling up and down boulders for 2 miles.
Nevertheless, we were there to get a workout, so we attacked it with vigor, and did our best to keep a high pace.
And then we hit this:
Yeah, so the name "Billy Goat" was quite appropriate.
The views were absolutely gorgeous though, as the "trail" parallels the Potomac the entire time.
We even got a stream crossing. This is one of the very few sections of trail that was smooth. Don't be fooled by this one picture. Almost the entire two miles were spent scrambling up and down extremely rocky hillsides.
It took us about an hour to travel the two miles, then we popped out on the tow path, and jogged the two miles along the canal back to the start.
We decided to make a stop and walk out to the scenic overlook of the falls. I think I showed pictures of this from when I was out here last fall. This time, the water was running a lot higher.
Now, the interesting thing is we had some major flooding last spring as the record snowfall melted. As I was looking on the park website before going, they had pictures from the flooding. There was a shot from this same vantage point, where you could not see a single rock in the river, as they were all covered by the floodwaters. (You can see the pictures here - the very first pictures is from the exact same viewing deck as the above picture. They have some great before/after pictures if you click through them all). As we were hiking, we saw some areas where you could see where the high water line was from the debris that was in the river. It was at least 50 feet above the normal water line.
Now, look closely at that above picture. Here's another shot.
Do you see the two idiots in kayaks? Apparently this is an immensely popular spot for kayaking. It's Class V rapids (Class VI is the highest - I'd hate to see what they look like, although I'd imagine when the Potomac is running a little bit higher these become class VI). We watched as the guys picked their way down through the rapids. (They stopped a couple times to get out and scout their route).
Cowabunga!!!
A little further downstream, there was a large group a kayaker's. They'd paddle out into the rapids, and then "surf" on the rapids, riding the standing waves.
In short, it was a really fun hike. One of the more scenic and challenging hikes I've ever been on. My only complaint would be that because it's so close to the city, and such a popular spot, there were tons of people on the trail. Still, it was a nice escape for a Saturday morning.
There are some great hiking trails around, so we decided we'd go run some trails for our Saturday morning exercise.
Before heading out we decided we'd run the 2 mile "Billy Goat" trail which is a spur off the tow path, which then connects back in with the towpath. We'd then run 2 miles back on the tow path for a total of 4 miles. The website warned the Billy Goat trail required some scrambling, and was a strenuous, advanced trail. But hey, this is D.C. right? Land of the softies?
We started off down the towpath, hit the start of the trail, hung a right onto the Billy Goat trail, ran for about 50 feet, and that was pretty much all of the running we did for the next 2 miles.
Here are some pictures of the "trail".
I use the word "trail" here very loosely. Of the approximate 2 miles, about 300 yards total could be constituted as a trail. The rest is basically a rock garden, with blue lines indicating the path. It was basically nothing but scrambling up and down boulders for 2 miles.Nevertheless, we were there to get a workout, so we attacked it with vigor, and did our best to keep a high pace.
And then we hit this:
Yeah, so the name "Billy Goat" was quite appropriate.The views were absolutely gorgeous though, as the "trail" parallels the Potomac the entire time.
We even got a stream crossing. This is one of the very few sections of trail that was smooth. Don't be fooled by this one picture. Almost the entire two miles were spent scrambling up and down extremely rocky hillsides.
It took us about an hour to travel the two miles, then we popped out on the tow path, and jogged the two miles along the canal back to the start.
We decided to make a stop and walk out to the scenic overlook of the falls. I think I showed pictures of this from when I was out here last fall. This time, the water was running a lot higher.
Now, the interesting thing is we had some major flooding last spring as the record snowfall melted. As I was looking on the park website before going, they had pictures from the flooding. There was a shot from this same vantage point, where you could not see a single rock in the river, as they were all covered by the floodwaters. (You can see the pictures here - the very first pictures is from the exact same viewing deck as the above picture. They have some great before/after pictures if you click through them all). As we were hiking, we saw some areas where you could see where the high water line was from the debris that was in the river. It was at least 50 feet above the normal water line.Now, look closely at that above picture. Here's another shot.
Do you see the two idiots in kayaks? Apparently this is an immensely popular spot for kayaking. It's Class V rapids (Class VI is the highest - I'd hate to see what they look like, although I'd imagine when the Potomac is running a little bit higher these become class VI). We watched as the guys picked their way down through the rapids. (They stopped a couple times to get out and scout their route).
Cowabunga!!!
A little further downstream, there was a large group a kayaker's. They'd paddle out into the rapids, and then "surf" on the rapids, riding the standing waves.
In short, it was a really fun hike. One of the more scenic and challenging hikes I've ever been on. My only complaint would be that because it's so close to the city, and such a popular spot, there were tons of people on the trail. Still, it was a nice escape for a Saturday morning.Saturday, June 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Memorial Day
Well, I'm a little upset. I put this post up yesterday, and then apparently deleted it before I published it. Somehow, it didn't get saved as a draft either.
On Memorial Day, Leigh and I decided to head out to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It's a small island in the Potomac sandwiched between Arlington and D.C.
It should really be called James Madison island. It was originally a holding ground for slaves, and then in the early 1800's James Madison acquired it. His son eventually built a mansion on it, and it was apparently the place to be during the summers in the early to mid 1800's.
Unfortunately, after bad flooding one year, a causeway was constructed to open up Georgetown harbor, and the water around the island became stagnant. The family essentially abandoned the property, and a fire in the early 1900's burned down the mansion.
In the early 1930's, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association acquired the island, and got approval to turn it into a National Monument. It took 30 years to finally get funding, but it finally opened in the 1960's.
Now, it's a small island (you can walk the perimeter path in about 20-30 minutes) with a monument, and various trails. It's convenient in that it's very close to downtown, allowing easy access for joggers, and hikers, although you can barely call walking around it "hiking". That, and it's a little odd to be walking through nature, and then hear an airplane roar overhead on it's approach over the Potomac to Reagan National airport, or to hear the hum of traffic on the nearby GW Parkway.
Nevertheless, it was fun to get out and walk around. There were some really interesting rocks that we found.
I sure wish I had Grandpa's rock tumbler to polish them up.
Leigh, with her eagle eye, spotted an odd looking toad,
and an equally odd looking lizard.
This is the view from the island looking at Georgetown.
A view of a marsh in the interior of the island.
And finally, part of the monument. There are also 5 very large slabs of stone with quotes by Theodore Roosevelt.
In all, a fun quick day trip.
On Memorial Day, Leigh and I decided to head out to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It's a small island in the Potomac sandwiched between Arlington and D.C.
It should really be called James Madison island. It was originally a holding ground for slaves, and then in the early 1800's James Madison acquired it. His son eventually built a mansion on it, and it was apparently the place to be during the summers in the early to mid 1800's.
Unfortunately, after bad flooding one year, a causeway was constructed to open up Georgetown harbor, and the water around the island became stagnant. The family essentially abandoned the property, and a fire in the early 1900's burned down the mansion.
In the early 1930's, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association acquired the island, and got approval to turn it into a National Monument. It took 30 years to finally get funding, but it finally opened in the 1960's.
Now, it's a small island (you can walk the perimeter path in about 20-30 minutes) with a monument, and various trails. It's convenient in that it's very close to downtown, allowing easy access for joggers, and hikers, although you can barely call walking around it "hiking". That, and it's a little odd to be walking through nature, and then hear an airplane roar overhead on it's approach over the Potomac to Reagan National airport, or to hear the hum of traffic on the nearby GW Parkway.
Nevertheless, it was fun to get out and walk around. There were some really interesting rocks that we found.
I sure wish I had Grandpa's rock tumbler to polish them up.
Leigh, with her eagle eye, spotted an odd looking toad,
and an equally odd looking lizard.
This is the view from the island looking at Georgetown.
A view of a marsh in the interior of the island.
And finally, part of the monument. There are also 5 very large slabs of stone with quotes by Theodore Roosevelt.
In all, a fun quick day trip.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like spring
Friday, April 1, 2011
It's about time
As many of you know, I dislike tourists in D.C. No, that's not strong enough. I hate them. I loathe them. I despise them with a zeal reserved for only a select group of the most heinous offenders.
Now, by tourists, I don't mean you people that come and visit us. Of course not. I mean all of the other inept individuals that clog the metro doors, stand on the left side of the escalator, push to get on the train before letting others off, and wander all over the sidewalk and into oncoming bicycle traffic. Basically, all of the clueless individuals that single-handedly manage to make every D.C. persons commute more miserable than it already is.
So, imagine my glee when earlier this week I read that DC Metro Transportation will begin charging a "Tourist Surcharge" starting May15th of this year.
Due to outrage by local commuters, not to mention employer's upset over lost productivity due to people arriving late to work due to inconveniences caused by tourists, DC Metro finally did something right and decided to levy an additional fee for tourists on all Metro rail rides, and Metro Bus fares.
Ok, lets be honest. The real reason this is probably happening is because metro has been running in the red for some years now, and is looking for any scapegoat they can find. And hey, tourists are a pretty easy target.
The tourist surcharge will add an additional $1.00 on any Metro Rail ride, and $0.50 on any Metro Bus ride. The surcharge will be in effect from May 15th through Oct. 15th, and for 2012 and beyond, will start Mar 15, and again run until Oct. 15.
So, for all of you tourists planning on coming to my town and making my life miserable, well, it's payback time. Literally! Who's smiling now?
Now, by tourists, I don't mean you people that come and visit us. Of course not. I mean all of the other inept individuals that clog the metro doors, stand on the left side of the escalator, push to get on the train before letting others off, and wander all over the sidewalk and into oncoming bicycle traffic. Basically, all of the clueless individuals that single-handedly manage to make every D.C. persons commute more miserable than it already is.
So, imagine my glee when earlier this week I read that DC Metro Transportation will begin charging a "Tourist Surcharge" starting May15th of this year.
Due to outrage by local commuters, not to mention employer's upset over lost productivity due to people arriving late to work due to inconveniences caused by tourists, DC Metro finally did something right and decided to levy an additional fee for tourists on all Metro rail rides, and Metro Bus fares.
Ok, lets be honest. The real reason this is probably happening is because metro has been running in the red for some years now, and is looking for any scapegoat they can find. And hey, tourists are a pretty easy target.
The tourist surcharge will add an additional $1.00 on any Metro Rail ride, and $0.50 on any Metro Bus ride. The surcharge will be in effect from May 15th through Oct. 15th, and for 2012 and beyond, will start Mar 15, and again run until Oct. 15.
So, for all of you tourists planning on coming to my town and making my life miserable, well, it's payback time. Literally! Who's smiling now?
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