Administrators define the field

Administrators define the field
A panel of deans and directors from Kansas City educational institutions met at the School of Education Monday evening, affording students interested in college administration careers a chance to discuss the field’s challenges and opportunities.

The conversation was sponsored by UMKC’s Career Services Center and featured four panelists with extensive credentials in higher education administration including: UMKC’s Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Mary Lou Hines-Fritts, William Jewell College’s Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, Ernie Stufflebean, Rockhurst University’s Assistant Dean of Students, Sean Grube, and Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley’s Dean of Administrative Services, Thomas Walker.

LiveScience: Era of Scientific Secrecy Near End
Era of Scientific Secrecy Near End / By Robin Lloyd, LiveScience Senior Editor / posted: 02 September 2008 11:30 am ET

Secrecy and competition to achieve breakthroughs have been part of scientific culture for centuries, but the latest Internet advances are forcing a tortured openness throughout the halls of science and raising questions about how research will be done in the future.

The openness at the technological and cultural heart of the Internet is fast becoming an irreplaceable tool for many scientists, especially biologists, chemists and physicists — allowing them to forgo the long wait to publish in a print journal and instead to blog about early findings and even post their data and lab notes online. The result: Science is moving way faster and more people are part of the dialogue.

[snip]

Open Science

The open science approach forces researchers to grapple with the question of whether they can still get sufficient credit for their ideas, said physicist Sabine Hossenfelder, co-organizer of a conference on the topic set to begin Sept. 8 at the Perimeter Institute in Ontario, Canada.

[BTW: I Will Be Attending This Unique Conference Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology [http://tinyurl.com/6ll8fb] / Look For Conference-Related Postings on the _Scholarship 2.0_ Blog [http://scholarship20.blogspot.com/] within the next two weeks]

[snip]

Open science is a shorthand for technological tools, many of which are Web-based, that help scientists communicate about their findings. At its most radical, the ethos could be described as “no insider information.” Information available to researchers, as far as possible, is made available to absolutely everyone.

Beyond email, teleconferencing and search engines, there are many examples: blogs where scientists can correspond casually about their work long before it is published in a journal; social networks that are scientist friendly such as Laboratree and Ologeez; GoogleDocs and wikis which make it easy for people to collaborate via the Web on single documents; a site called Connotea that allows scientists to share bookmarks for research papers; sites like Arxiv, where physicists post their “pre-print” research papers before they are published in a print journal; OpenWetWare which allows scientists to post and share new innovations in lab techniques; the Journal of Visualized Experiments, an open-access site where you can see videos of how research teams do their work; GenBank, an online searchable database for DNA sequences; Science Commons, a non-profit project at MIT to make research more efficient via the Web, such as enabling easy online ordering of lab materials referenced in journal articles; virtual conferences; online open-access (and free) journals like Public Library of Science (PLoS); and open-source software that can often be downloaded free off Web sites.

[BTW: Several Of These Innovations Have Been Profiled In My SciTechNet(sm) Blog [http://scitechnet.blogspot.com/] and/or The Scholarship 2.0 Blog [http://scholarship20.blogspot.com/]

The upshot: Science is no longer under lock and key, trickling out as it used to at the discretion of laconic professors and tense PR offices. For some scientists, secrets no longer serve them. But not everyone agrees.

Networked Cyborgs

Just a few decades ago, as a scientist, here is how you did your work: You toiled in obscurity and relative solitude.

[snip]

However, today, more and more scientists, as well as researchers in the humanities, operate like transparent, networked cyborgs. Background research is mostly done online, not in the library. Some data and preliminary research might be posted online via a blog or open notebook. Early write-ups of the work might be announced to the public, or at least discussed online with peers. And these early write-ups might also be posted to an online publication that is not peer-reviewed in the strict sense.

[snip]

“In areas like my own subfields of theoretical physics,” said MIT physicist David Kaiser, “the only constraint [on how rapidly one generates research papers] is, ‘Did you have more coffee that day?’ We aren’t usually held up trying to get an instrument to work, or slogging through complicated data analysis.”Most people think faster is better, but there are other issues.

Is It A Good Thing?

There is “no question” that all efforts to make science more open are positive for the progress of science, says open science proponent and chemist Jean-Claude Bradley at Drexel University in Philadelphia, who posts his lab notebook online and started a blog in 2005 called UsefulChemistry where he and his colleagues regularly discuss chemistry problems as well as Web 2.0 tools and the technical and philosophical issues they raise.His online notebook and blog definitely make it easier to communicate with colleagues, he said. Such sharing also makes it easier for others to “replicate” scientists’ work — try it themselves and convince themselves that you are right. And this replication issue is one of the principles behind scientific research. Anyone who has written down a recipe for a friend knows that we all tend to spell things out more clearly when sharing them than we would if we were just taking notes for ourselves in our own shorthand.

Open science also has the potential to prevent discrimination in access to information. Arxiv, the site for posting pre-print physics papers, was started in 1991 by Cornell physicist Paul Ginsparg, then at Los Alamos National Laboratory, to help provide equal access to prepublication information to graduate students, postdocs and researchers in developing countries.

[BTW: Paul Ginsparg will be one of several Major Players attending/presenting at The Conference [http://science21stcentury.org/abstracts.html]]

[snip]

And open science benefits the public, Bradley said. He tries to keep his posts fairly accessible (although this is not the case for all open notebooks and open science blogs).

[snip]

“It’s not clear to me that professional scientists or people in academic institutions have a monopoly on good ideas,” he said. “There are very smart people outside of academia, for example hobbyists or people in industry who could contribute, and having more contributors can only help. The same applies to interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches.”

[snip]

Drawbacks of Open Science

One of the biggest fears of nearly all researchers is that someone else hears what you’re doing and beats you to publication. That means you wasted a lot of time (and most researchers work extremely long hours, so loss of productivity is especially painful and can also harm one’s chances for getting a job or promotion or funding for the next research project). Once you publicly reveal your thoughts, data or experimental results, some say, you lose control over ownership of that information. This topic is covered by an area of law called intellectual property, as well as patent law, and there can be significant money to be fought over when it comes to patents.

Hossenfelder, the conference organizer, says she knows of several examples in which scientists have had an idea for something, talked about it openly and then somebody else has published the fleshed-out idea first without giving any credit beyond an acknowledgment to the original idea-holder. Acknowledgments don’t advance careers.

However there are solutions to this, she said. For instance, the prominent scientific journal Nature encourages authors to include brief summaries of which author contributed what to a project. Some say that online posts provide a time-stamped record of when an experiment was documented. Those stamps can easily be arbitrarily altered after the fact, but it might also be possible to “lock” posts at a certain date after which they could not be changed without some sign-off permission to break the lock, Hossenfelder said. [snip]

Fear of Losing Peer Review

Another drawback of open science can be that results go public before they should. In science, experimental results are frequently proven wrong by subsequent work. Yet even peer review cannot ensure against this, nor can it prevent outright fraud, as proven by a 2005 case involving a South Korean scientist who claimed to have achieved the first cloning of a human embryo. A later examination of his work showed he had fabricated his results.

[snip]

“The social system of science has become so complicated, unregulated and dispersed in terms of geography and disciplines, so peer review has been elevated to a principle that unifies a fragmented field,” Biagioli said.

[snip]

And today, Arxiv, one of the most frequently cited examples of open science, has no peer review for individual papers, but it has begun to add in some constraints on allowable authors. The site used to allow anyone with email addresses associated with academic institutions to post their papers. Now, authors of research papers who post in Arxiv are vetted before they can post for the first time. In some ways, things are tightening up when it comes to openness in physics, Kaiser said. In any case, the function of print journals, in physics at least, is changing.

“Ease of sharing everything prior to peer review is flourishing, and in my opinion very few physicists are reading journals for information these days,” Kaiser said. “Journals have largely lost their information function.”

[snip]

For The Good Of Truth, Humanity, Economies?

Another argument in favor of open science is sort of a big picture issue for humanity, scientific truth and economies, Neylon said.

“Making things more open leads to more innovation and more economic activity, and so the technology that underlies the Web makes it possible to share in a way that was never really possible before, while at same time it also means that kinds of models and results generated are much more rich,” he said.

This is the open source approach to software development, as opposed to commercial closed source approaches, Neylon said. The internals are protected by developers and lawyers, but the platform is available for the public to build on in very creative ways.

“Science was always about mashing up, taking one result and applying it to your [work] in a different way,” Neylon said. “The question is ‘Can we make that as effective as samples data and analysis as it does for a map and set of addresses for a coffee shop?’ That is the vision.”

[http://www.livescience.com/culture/080902-open-science.html]

Thanks to Sabine Hossenfelder For The HeadsUp !

[http://friendfeed.com/rooms/science21]

The State of Things

The State of Things
by Jason Trumpbour, FODU spokesperson

ATAF Fundraiser

First, a reminder. Tickets remain for the Tahoe Raffle to benefit the defense fund. Click here or scroll down for information on how to order tickets. The proceeds support a very good cause you know you want that Tahoe! The number of tickets is limited and the drawing is on May 28th. Get yours before it is too late.

The End, the Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning.

Now that Reade, Collin and David have finally been exonerated, it is time to think about the future of FODU. Obviously, our number one priority was ending the hoax and getting Reade, Collin and David from out of harm’s way and that has been achieved. However, our approach was originally premised on the fact that Duke should be a part of that process, not only for the sake its falsely accused students, but for its own sake. That objective has yet to be realized. Together, with many others, we changed the world around Duke for the better. However, Bob Steel’s most recent letter and the News and Communications Office’s recent attempts at history show the University still singing exactly the same tune it was a year ago.

When FODU first began operating, a friend of mine who is an alumnus was excited because he thought FODU could become an alternative to the University’s official, administration run alumni organization that would be more responsive to the concerns of alumni. Something like that has already happened as the FODU bulletin board has morphed into the Duke Community Forum and will likely live on beyond us. For my part, I have always hoped that the need for our group would be temporary. Unfortunately, the legal case is over and here we all still are.

At some point, the administration will have to come to terms with the lacrosse case. It is not going to go away. The incident will be relived countless more times as the many books about it are released. The story is not going to get any better for Duke with each retelling–indeed, quite the opposite. Hopefully, the administration will engage in some self reflection and soul searching so that, if the past cannot be changed, the future will. The University will have opportunities to do this in the near future. Settling the Dowd case fairly was a small step in the right direction. We are not going away yet and will watch events in the coming weeks.

Celebrations!

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending not one, but two celebrations. The first was a luncheon, hosted by our moderator for FODU members and parents in the Washington area. David Evans and his family were the guests of honor. The second was a dinner hosted in New York by the Wolcotts in honor of last year’s graduating seniors on the lacrosse team. It is a tradition to have a dinner each year for the graduating seniors, but circumstances prevented last year’s seniors from getting theirs.

Over the course of the last year, I have had a chance to get to know many of the player’s families. I never fail to be amazed at their ability to conduct themselves with grace and dignity and even good humor throughout their ordeal. I have also been impressed by their ability to remain charitable toward people who have wronged them and to vigorously pursue justice without malice and with an eye toward everyone’s good, not just their own. They are remarkable people and it was thus a joy to share these two moments of great happiness with them.

However, the real pleasure in these celebrations was finally meeting some of the players themselves and speaking to them. I knew they were basically good kids and not miscreants and libertines as the hoax enablers tried the paint them. Nevertheless, I was quite impressed with them. They were polite, thoughtful, sincere and straightforward young men. They thanked me profusely and I assured them that I stood in for the many, many people who contributed to their cause in large ways and in small, both through FODU and alongside us. I now pass their thanks on to all of you and offer you their worthy lives rescued from ruin as reward.

It is worth noting that, to date, the players are the only actors in the entire saga who have expressed any genuine regret for inappropriate behavior on their part and who have been willing to examine themselves with an eye toward improvement. They are better people for this experience and will use what they have learned to make a difference in the world. Who else in all this can say that?

For those of us who love Duke, the dignity with which the players, especially Reade, Collin and David, conducted themselves throughout their ordeal showed Duke students in such a positive light and gave us all something of which to be proud. Let us also not forget the character, fortitude and resourcefulness shown by the women’s lacrosse team in standing up for what was right.

I got involved with this case because of the issues it presented, not the people. Good, bad or ugly, none of the players had committed a crime and neither they nor their families deserved the terrible ordeal to which Mike Nifong subjected them. Neither did they deserve the unfair vilification of them by those who either wanted to enable the hoax or who wanted to rationalize their inaction. No one is safe in a society that allows manifest injustice such as the lacrosse case to go forward. No institution dedicated to knowledge and social betterment can look the other way when something like it occurs.

In the end, however, the people were what made this experience so truly rewarding. We could not have asked for more worthy beneficiaries of our efforts than the players and their families, especially Reade, Collin and David and their families. For that, I and my colleagues at FODU are most grateful to them.

Roy Cooper

I have to commend Attorney General Roy Cooper and the Special Prosecutors for the professionalism and leadership they demonstrated during their investigation. You may recall that, when the Attorney General’s Office took over the case I had this to say:

Roy Cooper and his attorneys have a real opportunity to restore confidence in North Carolina’s legal system. Furthermore, in doing so, they have a real opportunity to educate the public about the proper role of prosecutors in our legal system and how the legal system is supposed to resolve criminal matters. They can do these things by scrupulously executing their duties and exercising their discretion according to the requirements of law. Where Nifong allowed political considerations to influence his actions, they can embrace the rule of law. Where Nifong, abdicated his duties, they can embrace them. Where Nifong mislead the public as to the appropriate legal standards and his proper role, they can be honest. The public there and all over the world will be following their every move. Let us hope that they seize this opportunity and make the most of it.

Roy Cooper, Jim Coman and Mary Winstead did all these things and what a difference it made. Not only was justice done, but the way they conducted the investigation and the transparency with which they shared its results ensured that everyone, aside from a handful of narrow minded ideologues, would accept their findings. I am also grateful to Attorney General Cooper for going one step further and stating his conclusion that Reade, Collin and David were completely innocent. That he felt compelled to do so shows that he truly is a man of integrity.

We have had various letter writing campaigns asking our public officials to do something to help Reade, Collin and David. It is only fitting that we recognize them when they do something right. Please consider writing to thank Roy Cooper and his assistants for a job well done.

Final Fours

Finally, congratulations to the Men’s and Women’s lacrosse teams for advancing to the Final Four. That both teams could successfully overcome all of the enormous challenges presented by real life and also play lacrosse at the highest level is perhaps the final wonder of this whole saga.

LieStoppers Message Board

LieStoppers Message Board
Last weekend, the LieStoppers message board was hacked and taken down. Thanks to an incredible amount of work and resourcefulness by the LieStoppers team, their message board is back in business in a new and (hopefully) more secure format and it is now open to the general public again.

Science Dissemination Using Open Access

A Conversation with Susan Pressler

A Conversation with Susan Pressler

---

Today, we are sharing with you another ‘profile in courage’ written by our friend Joan Collins. In her latest profile, Joan writes about a selfless and inspiring woman. A woman who not only stood by her husband and family and supported them through extraordinarily tough times but also stood by 46 other families, Duke lacrosse families, who were devastated by the events that unfolded at Duke a year ago. This woman is former Duke Lacrosse head coach Mike Pressler’s wife, Susan Pressler. Thank you Joan, for talking with Mrs. Pressler and sharing your conversation with us.

In a book that will be published soon, there will be much more on the ordeal that Presslers along with 46 other lacrosse families went through between March 2006 and April 2007. To find out more or to purchase that book, use the link below.

It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Case and the Lives it Shattered by Don Yaeger and Mike Pressler

Profile in Courage
A Conversation with Susan Pressler

For some time now, several Duke Lacrosse mothers have spoken to me about Susan Pressler, wife of former Duke Lacrosse Coach, Mike Pressler. They described a woman who not only has supported her husband and children through difficult and painful times, but has continued to be an inspiration to them and their sons. Some of the words used to describe her were “amazing, “a rock”, and “the wind beneath Mike Pressler’s wings”. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Susan Pressler.

Susan and Mike Pressler met at Ohio Wesleyan University where she was a swim coach, while he was head lacrosse coach. Originally from Illinois, she is both strong and loving. For over 16 years, Susan Pressler stood beside her husband as they made their home in Durham. As head coach, Pressler built Duke Lacrosse into a highly regarded program. Pressler compiled a 153-82 record at Duke, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship three times, while leading his team to 10 NCAA tournament appearances as well as the Division I men’s national championship game in 2005. Pressler was voted ACC Coach of the Year three times and also was honored as the U.S.I.L.A. National Coach of the Year in 2005. She worked with him in organizing the successful Duke Lacrosse Summer Camp.

The family immersed themselves in the Durham community. Their children were happy. Their two daughters, age 9 and 15, know of no home other than Durham. After her husband’s contract was renewed, they put a large addition on their Durham home, almost doubling its size, making it just the way they always wanted. They expected Durham would be their home for the next 20 years. Everything changed on April 5, 2006, when Mike Pressler lost his coaching job at Duke.

Sadly, Durham became a community Susan no longer recognized. After receiving threats and out of fear for their children’s safety, they sent their eldest daughter to live with friends in another city, while their youngest was sent out of state with family for a time.

Immediately after the players were indicted, she used a labeler to make handmade signs “Innocent #6- Innocent #13- Innocent #45” which she displays prominently on her license plate as she drives around Durham. She proudly wears a Duke Lacrosse wristband with the same inscription. Susan insists she will not remove the wristband, until Reade and Collin each score their first goal and she hears from Rae Evans that Dave is alright.

Although she is the mother of two daughters, Susan considers herself to have hundreds of sons. She spoke in a most loving, motherly way of Coach Pressler’s players, not just the recent team, but of all the players over the last 16 years of coaching at Duke. She estimates that about 200 players have passed through his program. “I am so grateful for the young men my husband has brought into our family. I love every kid,” said Susan. Her youngest daughter refers to the players as “Daddy’s Boys”. I would trust my girls with all 47 boys on the team,” Susan said. Parents of daughters understand what that means.

Several days before the Blue Devils played their first game of the season against Dartmouth, Susan Pressler addressed the team in the locker room, something she had never done before. She told them that Duke is not the administration or professors. She said, “Duke is the students. Once you wear that uniform you are always Duke.” She told the team the Pressler family never blamed them for what happened and that she loved them and they should feel proud again.

About Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann she replied, “I am so proud of these three young men and how they handled themselves in the face of the most unbelievable adversity. As the ones picked, it would ultimately be them and their families that the world would focus on. No one would represent Duke Lacrosse with more class and dignity. After their innocence was announced to the world, they spoke at a press conference, their poise and presence could make every Duke alumni proud again. It showed anyone willing to see, that these are great kids from great families, who were falsely accused.”

Ask to comment on John Danowski as Coach of Duke Lacrosse, Susan responded, “Duke Lacrosse is a great program. We were a big part of building the Duke Lacrosse brand. It is difficult to see someone else in that position, but I am glad it is John Danowski. His purpose is pure. He loves it as we did and he loves the boys.”

In August of 2006 Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island announced Mike Pressler would become their new head lacrosse coach. For the past 8 months Coach Pressler has been working at Bryant settling into his new position, while his family remained in Durham. In the next few weeks, Susan and her daughters will move to their new home in Rhode Island. For the Presslers, starting over will mean many changes. It means a new job, new community, new home, new schools and new friends. Her eldest daughter, a sophomore in high school, plays on a varsity volleyball team, Triangle, which has won 8 out of the last 9 state championships. Unfortunately, she must leave her team which means so much to her.

This past weekend at the Lone Star Classic National qualifier in Dallas, the Presslers eldest daughter, Janet, had a chance to meet some members of her new team, the Rhode Island Blast Volleyball. It was another glimpse for this teenager into what lies ahead. They were scheduled to play in the afternoon pool on court 38, the same court Janet’s Triangle 16-1 team played earlier that morning. Susan Wolcott, mother of a member of the Men’s Duke Lacrosse 2006 Team, was in the stands to cheer Janet and her team. For Susan Pressler, this represented the bridge between the Duke boys and the Bryant boys, which will forever be a part of the Pressler children’s lives.

On the same day back in Durham, younger daughter, Maggie, attended the Duke-Army Lacrosse game where Jimmy Regan, former Duke Lacrosse player and Army Ranger, recently killed in Iraq, was honored in a half time ceremony. Former Duke assistant Joe Albericci, and the Army Captains presented Regan’s parents and fiancé with a cadet sword. The Duke Captains presented his family with his framed No. 10 Duke Jersey. “Jimmy represented and lived the Ranger Creed, extraordinary but not surprising, for a Duke Lacrosse player. This is yet another reason for Duke Alumni to be proud of their lacrosse team again,” she said.

According to Susan, lacrosse in Rhode Island is at a stage similar to North Carolina when they first moved to Duke over 16 years ago. She described a Bryant University community that has been supportive and wonderful in welcoming them. The Bryant parents are excited that their children will have an opportunity to learn lacrosse from a man with the talent and expertise of Coach Pressler. The climate is much colder, so they will be practicing indoors a lot and shoveling snow, however the citizens of Smithfield have warm hearts to compensate for the colder temperatures.

During our conversations, I could not help but think of one of my mother’s favorite expressions, “When one door closes, another door opens.” I thought of all the New England boys who will benefit from another door that has opened.

Susan is optimistic about the future. Bryant has a student body of about 3,500 students. At Bryant’s first game of the season, there were 700 spectators, much more than attended Pressler’s first game at Duke years ago. In the stands were some of Pressler’s former players and their parents.

Susan is excited about Mike Pressler’s soon to be released book, “It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Case and the Lives it Shattered”, which he wrote with Don Yaeger. It was written to fulfill a promise Mike made to the 47 players that he would tell the world the truth at the appropriate time and venue.

Bryant opened the door for Coach Pressler. As they hold the door open for Susan Pressler and her daughters to enter, they will soon learn that the woman entering the door has a heart big enough to love each and every one of Bryant University’s sons.

“Optimism is the foundation of courage,” wrote Nicholas Murray Butler, former President of Columbia University. “My goal is to not let the events of this last year taint my children’s view of the world,” said Susan Pressler. She is a testament to finding the inner strength to recognize the open door in front of you, when one had closed unexpectedly.

One former member of the Duke lacrosse team wrote to me, “I am forever indebted to Mrs. Pressler for what she did for me and my friends”. Heroes inspire us. Susan is an inspiration for us all to rise above feelings of disappointment and watch for our own opening doors.

Susan Pressler is a true hero.

Joan Collins
Garden City, NY

Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology

Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology
Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology
September 8th-12th 2008, Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Ontario


Times are changing. In the earlier days, we used to go to the library, today we search and archive our papers online. We have collaborations per email, hold telephone seminars, organize virtual networks, write blogs, and make our seminars available on the internet. Without any doubt, these technological developments influence the way science is done, and they also redefine our relation to the society we live in. Information exchange and management, the scientific community, and the society as a whole can be thought of as a triangle of relationships, the mutual interactions in which are becoming increasingly important.

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/]

TOPICS

Web/Web 2.0.

• Communication, Social and Information Networks, Wikis, Blogs, Information Overflow, and the Illusion of Knowledge

Globalization

• Collaboration and Competition in the Scientific Community, the Global Village, the Limits of Growth, Science and Democracy

Open Access

• Scientific Publishing, Science Journalism, Framing, and the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’

Sociology

• Ethics, Morals, Trends, and Their Impact on Scientific Directions, Organization of Our Communities, Fragmentation, Feedback, Selection, and the Ivory Tower.

Miscellaneous and Other

• Teaching, Information Storage, Resilience and the Next Generation

PROGRAM

Preliminary Schedule (July 11st)

MONDAY / SEPTEMBER 8 2008

9:15 / REGISTRATION

9:45 / Hossenfelder, Sabine / Opening/

10:00 / Hossenfelder, Sabine / Introduction

11:00 / Orzel, Chad / Talking to My Dog about Science: Weblogs and Public Outreach

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Distler, Jacques / Blogs, Wikis, MathML: Scientific Communication

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Willinsky, John / Open Access Is Public Access

16:30 / Discussion / The Fall of the Ivory Tower: Science Gets Closer to the Public

18:00 / RECEPTION

19:00 / Pang, Alex / Mapping Science in the 21st Century

TUESDAY / SEPTEMBER 9 2008

10:00 / Hannay, Timo / TBA

11:00 / Ginsparg, Paul / Next-Generation Implications of Open Access

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Nielsen, Michael / Cultural Openness and Its Connection to Online Innovation in Science

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Odlyzko, Andrew / The Evolution of Scholarly Communication and the Supreme Power of Inertia

16:30 / Discussion / The Future of Scientific Collaboration

18:00 / Meeting (Alice Room) / IT Tools for Science

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 2008

10:00 / Collins, Harry / TBA

11:00 / Fuller, Steve (per video) / TBA

12:00 /LUNCH

14:00 / Kaiser, David / Toil, Trouble, and the Cold War Bubble: Physics and the Academy since World War II

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Smolin, Lee / Science as an Ethical Community

16:30 / Discussion /Power and Progress: Democracy and Ethics in Science

19:00 /CONFERENCE DINNER

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 2008

10:00 / Noveck, Beth / TBA

11:00 / Weinstein, Eric / TBA

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Wellman, Barry / Networked Individualism and the Triple Revolution: Networks, Internet and Mobility

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Börner, Katy / 21st Century Science Maps

16:30 / Discussion / Information Flow and Overflow: How the Internet Changes Our Lives

19:00 / Discussion / Scientific Utopia: Alternative Forms of Scientific Institutions

FRIDAY / SEPTEMBER 12 2008

10:00 / Wilson, Greg / Can the Web Make Scientists Brush Their Teeth?

11:00 / Neylon, Cameron / Science in the Open /or/ How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Blog

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Zivkovic, Bora / Summary / Closing Discussion

15:00 END OF CONFERENCE

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/program.html]

ABSTRACTS

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/abstracts.html]

PARTICIPANTS

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/participants.html]

REGISTRATION

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/registration.html]

HOST

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

[http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/]

PhD in DSP for Digital Terrain Elevation Data-NLDA/Delft
Ph.D. Research Assistantship to Explore the Potential of DSP for Digital Terrain Elevation Data at the Netherlands Defense Academy and Delft University of Technology

With today’s digital signal processing capabilities, it becomes possible to optimize the performance parameters of a navigation system for a particular set of intended applications. The Netherlands Defense Academy and the Delft University of Technology are providing an opportunity of a Ph.D. research assistantship to explore opportunities in the field of Terrain Reference Navigation (TRN) by using digital signal processing techniques that were originally developed for the acquisition and tracking of GPS signals.

The goal of the research is to contribute to the creation of a design framework which can be used to match technology and processing concepts to a particular set of navigation system performance requirements. The focus lies on exploring the potential of various digital signal processing concepts for matching a set of distance measurements with a stored database of the environment.

The candidate should hold a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science,
applied mathematics or any other relevant study with substantial knowledge on data
processing. Research will be conducted both at the Netherlands Defense Academy and at
Delft University of Technology. Leaders of the project are established researchers in the
field of applied mathematics, geomatics and electronics. Contact Prof. P.J. Oonincx, Netherlands Defense Academy, at [pj.oonincx AT nlda.nl]. More information about the Netherlands Defense Academy can be found here http://www.nlda. nl

Alpha Software ahora en Espanol!

Alpha Software ahora en Espanol!
We’re slicing the limes and passing the tequila here at Alpha Software today in honor of our newest Mexican partner, Serco Commercial. Just kidding, I’m just sitting alone in my office wearing a Sombrero eating a taco. Kidding again, I’m just alone in my office. But I am really excited!

Headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, with branches throughout the country, Serco has been in the software biz for more than 15 years. They specialize in designing, programming, and implementing desktop and Web-based software solutions tailored to their customers’ needs.

We recently sat down with Luis Rodriguez, software engineer and president of Serco Commercial, to talk about our promising new partnership. Please welcome Luis and his team to the Alpha community, and enjoy this introduction we put together.

Y ahora, una version en espanol. You like that? I’ve been practicing.

Portable Adobe Digital Edition
Adobe Digital Edition Portable | 4.29 Adobe® Digital Editions software offers an engaging way to view and manage eBooks and other digital publications. Use it to download and purchase digital content, which can be read both online and offline. Transfer copy-protected eBooks from your PC to other computers or devices. Organize your eBooks into a custom library and annotate pages. Digital Editions

Announcements and a Follow Up

Announcements and a Follow Up

One of the groups sponsoring KC Johnson’s address, Duke Students for and Ethical Duke (not to be confused with the equally estimable Duke Students for an Ethical Durham) is a new group dedicated to making sure that the appalling treatment of certain Duke students by the administration and a few of their professors is not forgotten and does not go unaddressed. They are pledged to “defend the dignity and the academic and legal rights of Duke students, both individually and collectively, whether threatened by other students, faculty, or administrators alike.” Here is an article from the Chronicle.

This is a very encouraging development. The fact that the number of groups focusing attention on these issues is growing and not decreasing with time should indicate to the trustees and administration that these issues are not going to go away. It is also good that the students themselves are getting involved. We at FODU are certainly concerned for Duke as an institution. However, most of all, we have done what we have done for the students. Those of us who are alumni want present students to enjoy what we enjoyed while at Duke: a university committed to the care, nurturing and dignity of ALL students. Those who are parents want these things for their children.

Follow up to Duke and the Police

First, a Duke official contacted me after I posted the last update and took issue with two statements I made there. I repeated information that had been told to me personally and which had also been widely reported. However, this official says these two statements are inaccurate and offers an alternative view. As the other bloggers in this case have done, I reproduce this person’s comments below in order to allow a fair opportunity to reply. I also appreciate this person’s willingness to respond and engage us in a dialogue, something lacking among Duke officials up to this point.

1) No one in the university “hired” Wes Covington. In fact, I was the unfortunate agent who brought him into contact with the players. When I met with them on March 17th and first learned of the police search, I was surprised and concerned that they had neither told their parents about it nor retained counsel. I told them to call their parents and consult with them about a lawyer. I said that I would also find out if there was anyone locally who could help them. I then asked Sue Wasiolek for a recommendation and she pointed me to Covington. I was the one who passed his name along to the four captains. They met with him at least once that I am aware of but to the best of my knowledge, he was never formally retained by any of them. I would be surprised if anyone in the administration other than Wasiolek knew anything about this until much later. By 3/24 (the day after the NTO was served) he was entirely out of the picture as far as I know.

2) The persistent rumor about “student/teacher privilege” is somewhat inaccurate. This came up in a meeting between the captains and Trask, Pressler [and] Alleva . . . on 2/24. By then, the players had all retained counsel and been advised not to speak about the matter without the presence of counsel. Trask had been sent down to athletics (I think) to assess the situation and report back to Allen Building. When he asked the players to tell him everything that had happened, they responded that they had been advised not to speak (in fact, they were dying to tell anyone who would listen what had (or hadn’t) happened). Trask responded that they could call their lawyers to come over and that he would wait for them. The players (specifically, David Evans) then said they would go ahead without representation. At that point, Trask said “We could argue that it (their account of the evening of 3/13) is a protected educational record. We might lose that argument.” The players then went on to detail what had happened at the party. Incidentally, it was clear . . . that Trask was absolutely certain that nothing had happened and that the players were innocent; I’m not sure that he played much of a role in what ensued in the following weeks.

Either way, my larger point remains unchanged. Officials of Duke University–and, in a couple of cases at least, I do think genuinely–were indicating to the players their belief in their innocence at the same time that the University was surreptitiously passing protected personal information about them out the back door to police officers with questionable motives and disputed integrity.

The problems with Mike Nifong and his conduct were manifest as I mentioned in the last post. However, Duke had every reason to be very suspicious of the motives of the police as well. Before that interview with the victim occurred, the original police investigator assigned to the case spoke with Sergeant Mark Gottlieb and they agreed that he would take over the case. As detailed last September in both the News and Observer and the Chronicle, Sergeant Gottlieb had been the subject of numerous allegations involving the violation of the rights of Duke students and use of thug-like tactics against them because of some particular animus he had against Duke students. Days before the lacrosse case incident, Durham Police Department officials had moved Gottlieb from patrol to investigations in District 2 apparently in response to these complaints. Duke officials had been notified of the complaints against Gottlieb no later than February. Now Gottlieb was back chasing Duke students, having in his own words “adopted” the lacrosse case. And into Gottlieb’s very hands, Duke personally delivered this protected information without a subpoena.

Second, in the comments, someone asked why turning the key card data over to the police was prejudicial to the players. Sure it was illegal, but how did it harm them? A good investigator will gather as much information as possible and then form a theory. However, that is not how it is always done. Some police investigators unfortunately do not go wherever the evidence takes them. Instead, they make up their mind what happened and then go out and try to find evidence that supports their theory while ignoring all else. Sometimes they will even make up evidence. Even “good” cops sometimes do all this. No better illustration of these problems can be found than the way Durham police actually conducted the lacrosse case investigation.

Let me be clear. There is nothing inherently sinister about police. Most police officers are dedicated, honest professionals who want to make a difference in the community. As in every human organization, there are some who do not live up to these ideals. In the middle are a bunch of people who see police work as just another job. Even under the best circumstances, the role of a defense attorney, as with any other type attorney, is to protect against the worst case scenario. They do that by forcing police to establish probable cause and preventing opportunities for fishing expeditions.

In investigating an alleged crime, the police must establish two things: whether a crime occurred and who did it. In the context of the lacrosse case, the police had skipped over the first step and were already trying to find three people to indict. This was despite their initial skepticism about the accuser’s story. In fact, throughout the entire case, they specifically avoided looking for corroborating evidence to test the accuser’s claims, evidently afraid of what they would find. Remember that the application for the Nontestimonial Order sought by police stated that the dna evidence would “immediately rule out any innocent persons, and show conclusive evidence as to who the suspect(s) are. . . .” Yet, the police did not wait for the results of the DNA testing to come back before inducing Duke to give them the keycard information. The keycard data helped police establish who was at the party and, more importantly, who was not. As described in the Pressler/Yeager book, the police were afraid that the accuser would pick someone out of the lineup who was not at the party and that is exactly what she did.

It is not that information protected by FERPA can never be obtained by police. All police have to show is that they have some particular need for the information, i.e. that it would be helpful to them in their investigation. That is a very low threshold, yet the police and Nifong were unable to make that showing with regard to the key card data. That they were unable to do so demonstrates that no legitimate reason existed for them to have this information.

Alpha Software ahora en Espanol!

Alpha Software ahora en Espanol!
We’re slicing the limes and passing the tequila here at Alpha Software today in honor of our newest Mexican partner, Serco Commercial. Just kidding, I’m just sitting alone in my office wearing a Sombrero eating a taco. Kidding again, I’m just alone in my office. But I am really excited!

Headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, with branches throughout the country, Serco has been in the software biz for more than 15 years. They specialize in designing, programming, and implementing desktop and Web-based software solutions tailored to their customers’ needs.

We recently sat down with Luis Rodriguez, software engineer and president of Serco Commercial, to talk about our promising new partnership. Please welcome Luis and his team to the Alpha community, and enjoy this introduction we put together.

Y ahora, una version en espanol. You like that? I’ve been practicing.

All’s calm on the IT front
I recently shared what I thought the financial crisis means for IT. And on a day like today, as the stock market crumbles before our eyes, it’s good to keep that in mind.

Need a little more reassurance? Late last week, Digg Inc., the popular social networking site whose users vote on their favorite news stories, announced a major expansion fueled by a $28.7 million in Series C funding.

Our retirement savings might temporarily be swirling down the toilet, but innovation isn’t a commodity that’s bought and sold. Great ideas will still find great funding. And great developers and apps will still find customers in need.

And the financial markets? They’ll bounce back.

Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology

Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology
Science in the 21st Century: Science, Society, and Information Technology
September 8th-12th 2008, Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Ontario


Times are changing. In the earlier days, we used to go to the library, today we search and archive our papers online. We have collaborations per email, hold telephone seminars, organize virtual networks, write blogs, and make our seminars available on the internet. Without any doubt, these technological developments influence the way science is done, and they also redefine our relation to the society we live in. Information exchange and management, the scientific community, and the society as a whole can be thought of as a triangle of relationships, the mutual interactions in which are becoming increasingly important.

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/]

TOPICS

Web/Web 2.0.

• Communication, Social and Information Networks, Wikis, Blogs, Information Overflow, and the Illusion of Knowledge

Globalization

• Collaboration and Competition in the Scientific Community, the Global Village, the Limits of Growth, Science and Democracy

Open Access

• Scientific Publishing, Science Journalism, Framing, and the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’

Sociology

• Ethics, Morals, Trends, and Their Impact on Scientific Directions, Organization of Our Communities, Fragmentation, Feedback, Selection, and the Ivory Tower.

Miscellaneous and Other

• Teaching, Information Storage, Resilience and the Next Generation

PROGRAM

Preliminary Schedule (July 11st)

MONDAY / SEPTEMBER 8 2008

9:15 / REGISTRATION

9:45 / Hossenfelder, Sabine / Opening/

10:00 / Hossenfelder, Sabine / Introduction

11:00 / Orzel, Chad / Talking to My Dog about Science: Weblogs and Public Outreach

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Distler, Jacques / Blogs, Wikis, MathML: Scientific Communication

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Willinsky, John / Open Access Is Public Access

16:30 / Discussion / The Fall of the Ivory Tower: Science Gets Closer to the Public

18:00 / RECEPTION

19:00 / Pang, Alex / Mapping Science in the 21st Century

TUESDAY / SEPTEMBER 9 2008

10:00 / Hannay, Timo / TBA

11:00 / Ginsparg, Paul / Next-Generation Implications of Open Access

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Nielsen, Michael / Cultural Openness and Its Connection to Online Innovation in Science

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Odlyzko, Andrew / The Evolution of Scholarly Communication and the Supreme Power of Inertia

16:30 / Discussion / The Future of Scientific Collaboration

18:00 / Meeting (Alice Room) / IT Tools for Science

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 2008

10:00 / Collins, Harry / TBA

11:00 / Fuller, Steve (per video) / TBA

12:00 /LUNCH

14:00 / Kaiser, David / Toil, Trouble, and the Cold War Bubble: Physics and the Academy since World War II

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Smolin, Lee / Science as an Ethical Community

16:30 / Discussion /Power and Progress: Democracy and Ethics in Science

19:00 /CONFERENCE DINNER

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 2008

10:00 / Noveck, Beth / TBA

11:00 / Weinstein, Eric / TBA

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Wellman, Barry / Networked Individualism and the Triple Revolution: Networks, Internet and Mobility

15:00 / COFFEE BREAK

15:30 / Börner, Katy / 21st Century Science Maps

16:30 / Discussion / Information Flow and Overflow: How the Internet Changes Our Lives

19:00 / Discussion / Scientific Utopia: Alternative Forms of Scientific Institutions

FRIDAY / SEPTEMBER 12 2008

10:00 / Wilson, Greg / Can the Web Make Scientists Brush Their Teeth?

11:00 / Neylon, Cameron / Science in the Open /or/ How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Blog

12:00 / LUNCH

14:00 / Zivkovic, Bora / Summary / Closing Discussion

15:00 END OF CONFERENCE

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/program.html]

ABSTRACTS

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/abstracts.html]

PARTICIPANTS

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/participants.html]

REGISTRATION

[http://www.science21stcentury.org/registration.html]

HOST

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

[http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/]

SPARC Webcast: The Right to Research: Engaging Students on the Topic of Access to Research
“Today’s students have come of age in the Internet era. Access to knowledge is the norm for them, rather than the exception. Students recognize how the lack of access is detrimental to research and education, and how the subscription-only model can conflict with the ethic of the academy, which is to share knowledge with everyone. I hope this guide will engage students and help them become more active participants in the campus conversation.”

(Gavin Baker, author of The Right to Research) / [http://www.arl.org/sparc/students/]

The Right to Research: Engaging Students on the Topic of Access to Research

August 6, 2008 / Wednesday / 1:00PM – 2:30PM (Eastern)

With: Gavin Baker, Graduate, University of Florida and SPARC Outreach Fellow ; Nelson Pavlosky, Law Student, George Mason University, and SPARC Summer Intern ; Heather Joseph, Executive Director, SPARC.

Moderator: Jennifer McLennan, Director of Communications, SPARC

Today’s college students – both undergraduate and graduate –possess tremendous potential for shaping the future of scholarly exchange. Appreciating student perspectives on information sharing and access to research can help to advance library outreach programs. In partnership with student leaders, SPARC has developed The Right to Research – a campaign that encourages student engagement and provides a suite of materials to help libraries connect with students on the topic of access to research. The goal of The Right to Research is to explore ways that libraries and students might advance new opportunities to work together in creating a more open system of scholarly communication.

Please join us for the latest installment in The Right to Research campaign. At this online event, student leaders Gavin Baker and Nelson Pavlosky will lead a discussion on: why working with students is critical to advancing the discussing of access to research; how to effectively engage students on campus and what resources are available; and specific actions to take next semester – including an announcement of our next nationwide on-campus event to raise awareness.

This invitation is open to SPARC members and other libraries only. You’ll need access to a phone and a Web browser to participate. Access details will be sent to registrants. Limited to 100 participants. Register by end of day, Friday, August 1, 2008 at [http://www.arl.org/sparc/meetings/event_registration.shtml]

Questions and comments may be directed to Jennifer McLennan (jennifer@arl.org).

Source [http://www.arl.org/sparc/media/08-0722.shtml]

Webcast Slides [http://www.arl.org/sparc/bm~doc/student_engagement_v3_08-aug.pdf]

Alpha Five by the book (or should I say “buy the books?”)

Alpha Five by the book (or should I say “buy the books?”)
I was on the phone with a client who complained that there weren’t any good books for learning Alpha Five. That was painful for me to hear, because there’s actually a complete library of titles focused specifically on helping novices and professionals alike learn Alpha Five. Apparently we haven’t done an optimal job making sure everyone knows this.

One of our big initiatives this year is training. We’ve held a number of tutorials and webinars, and more are on the way. And we also have a number of hard copy and electronic books available, covering everything you could possibly want to know about Alpha Five.

Our newest PDF package, Alpha Five Version 9 Made Easy and Alpha Five Web Applications Made Easy, is part of our push to empower people to create desktop and AJAX-enabled Web database applications. The two-volume set from Liberty Manuals is authored by Susan Bush, a experienced Alpha Five user and writer, and an active member of the Alpha Five community.

Her books divide the process of using Alpha Five to build applications into manageable segments. Everything is thoroughly explained and illustrated. Together these PDF volumes comprise over 1,000 illustrated pages.

The complete table of contents for Alpha Five Version 9 Made Easy and Alpha Five Web Applications Made Easy are available for you to get a better idea of everything that’s included inside.

All electronic and hard copy books are available at the Liberty Manuals Web site. Prices start at $19.99.