Dr. CK Lin | Productivity. Innovation. Entrepreneur Profiles

Best Places to Work Determined by Level of Job Security

What are a scientist’s priorities in the workplace?

According to the Best Places to Work in Industry, top concerns are “room for intellectual and career development, a family-friendly environment, and less hierarchy.”

With job security, scientists are able to continue their research goals, and maintain connections with the rest of the scientific world.

Thus, being able to freely research and stay connected to the rest of the scientific community go hand-in-hand with job security.

The overall message is that when researchers don’t have to worry about being laid-off, they can focus on actually doing their job, and doing it well.

Companies like Pioneer Hi-Bred also are known for their “casual, flat organizational structure” that allows researchers themselves to approach chief scientific officers with questions or suggestions, there’s no chain of command to go through.

With these kind of benefits, it’s no wonder that scientists have one of the best jobs in the current economic conditions.

So, those of you pursuing your PhDs, keep on hacking and your hard work will pay off: leading you to a secure and satisfying job.

Workforce Retention in Canada: Prepping Grad Students for the Real World

Before you ask why I’m blogging about Canadian graduate students, perhaps you should ask how successful our graduate students in the US are at transitioning into the real world.

As Americans, we have an individualist mentality, you are responsible for your own success.

In other countries, such as Canada, there is a more guided and collectivist attitude: bring funding to the knowledge-makers themselves, help the graduate school to real world transition.

For example, the Canadian government is investing in science and technology to create jobs, to “strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life of Canadians,” states Minister Gary Goodyear.

Over the next 6 years, universities across Canada will share $32 million and focus on research areas including: nanotechnology, aquaculture, biomedical engineering, and biodiversity.

The program, called Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE), “will allow our graduates to become in-demand, professional researchers nationally and internationally,” explains Dr. Suzanne Fortier.

The ultimate goal? To attract qualified employees and retain them in the workforce.

Meanwhile in the US, President Obama seeks to increase educational spending, but it is at the expense of other programs.

Regional representative jobs ($2 million cut) and state grants for drug prevention ($300 million cut), are just two examples of programs that have to go in order to allot more funding for education.

Additionally, it seems that the funding that is allegedly trickling down through big institutes, is not necessarily reaching the knowledge-makers: the graduate students and professional researchers.

While yes, the US is all about personal success and innovation through personal ambition, this oftentimes makes it hard for all graduate students to smoothly transition into the workforce after graduating.

We have advisers, mentors, and people that use their connections to connect us after we receive our MA’s or PhD’s, however does this equal an easy entrance to the workforce?

While the answer to that question is subjective, perhaps Canada’s funding that directly reaches graduate students is not such a bad idea.

But at the same time, the US is known for personal ambition, individuals who seek to capitalize on innovation, however it is also important to note that other countries are nipping at our heels when it comes to successfully being a dominant world power.

Something to keep in mind, to see what others are doing to successfully advance globally.

Virtual Brain: Coming to a Computer Near You

Come one, come all, become a part of the virtual mind.

The Canadian high tech startup company Intelligence Realm is constructing a system that will “harness the computing power of thousands of machines throughout the world.”

Meaning? BOINC, the grid computing middleware, will be downloaded on each user’s computer and become a part of the virtual brain.

“Within eight years it is anticipated the brain will be able to perform automated research in a variety of fields.”

Researchers state that since consciousness is a state of mind, it can be simulated on a computer.

You can add your computer to the virtual mind project here, with already over 6000 individuals contributing to the research.

Are Your Tweets Copyrighted?

So you sit down at your desk, type out your less-than 140 word tweet, and post.

Is your post copyrightable?

An article posted by Brock Shinen discusses the confusion that has arisen from what can or cannot be copyrighted via Twitter (or other social networking sites for that matter).

Shinen exclaims his disbelief when discovering through another blog the “high level of participation and the supposed consensus that Tweets are, in fact, copyrightable and copyrighted.”

What does he say about this? Here are Shinen’s main points:

• How can your Tweets be copyrighted if the material you post through Twitter isn’t copyrightable to begin with? You cannot create law.

• Fair use does not affect something in the public domain-especially in Twitter’s case with material that is neither copyrightable nor copyrighted.

• Would some Tweets be copyrightable over others depending on what information they contain? Most likely not.

Lastly, Shinen ends by asking: what would you do even if you did own a Tweet?

Maybe this should be the real question to begin with, instead of if your Tweets are copyrightable.

If in theory your Tweet COULD be copyrighted, why should it? Why should you be the only one allowed to Tweet about how much traffic there is on interstate 5? Case and point.

While an interesting argument has arisen regarding copyright laws and Twitter, I’m with Mr. Shinen on this one: you do not personally have the legal ability to create or own a copyright.

So Tweet on about the weather, how delicious your lunch was, or how irritating the person sitting in front of you on the bus is, just don’t expect to receive copyrighted permissions any time soon.

I have arrived at the grad school of my choice- NOW WHAT?

SO, you’ve gotten into the grad school of your choice…NOW what?

Starting grad school is a challenge (understatement).

Not only do you have to navigate a new place, meet your peers, find mentors, and engage in rigorous academic activity… you also have to finish on time!

The key to accomplishing this is to immediately assess where you want to be when you graduate, and take the path of least resistance to get there.

Here’s how. Read the rest of this entry »