David,
It seems as if I have disturbed you a bit with this posting. That was not
my intention... neither was it to sound naive. I believe I presented my
point poorly.
Earlier, a few of you noted on teaching styles, in regard to teaching the
information with the style and manner in which you were taught. That is
the case with my major prof -- inside and outside of the classroom. When
I started my project, she was advising me in the manner in which she had
been advised. Through stubbornness, experience, and information research,
I have developed my own opinion of applied science and the rewards of it.
Boy, this sure seems like a defensive gesture for my major prof.
The statement about poorly paid lab rats was, perhaps, inappropriate. I
added it for the value of its reaction. Although I am becoming more and
more aware of the necessity and value of applied science, that image has
unfortunately been burned into my brain -- simply because of advice I not
only received from my prof, but others in the department as well. There
was good intention behind it, I am sure.
We all mature and develop in this field as we go... as far as I am
concerned, I am still an adolescent.
I am quite interested in applied science -- that was the reason for my
reply in the first place. I am especially interested in the area of
viticulture / enology. There is a great text (collection of research) if
anyone is interested: Wine Science, Principles and Applications. Ron
Jackson. Fun stuff.
I feel as if I am rambling... I apologize.
Regardless, it is an interesting subject.
Cheers,
Steffi
******************************************************************
Stefanie Galgon lab/message: (520) 523-7735
Department of Biology
Northern Arizona University smg4 at dana.ucc.nau.edu
"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death"
Auntie Mame
******************************************************************
On Mon, 19 Jul 1999, David Hershey wrote:
> Stefanie,
>> Your major professor fed you a load of "poo-poo" about applied science.
> Look at the University of California, Davis, which has a Section for
> Plant Biology, with 18 faculty, in the Division of Biological Sciences.
> On the applied side in the College of Agriculture and Environmental
> Sciences are around 100 plant scientists mainly in the following
> departments that deal with plants:
>> Agronomy & Range Science
> Environmental Horticulture
> Viticulture & Enology
> Plant Pathology
> Pomology
> Vegetable Crops
> Land, Air and Water Resources
>> UC Davis has scientists with international reputations in both Plant
> Biology and Plant Agriculture. The applied scientists apply for grants,
> make hypotheses, do research, statistically analyse the results, and
> publish papers in refereed journals just like the basic scientists.
> Applied scientists may publish mainly in a different set of journals
> than basic scientists but not always.
>> It may be that applied scientists in industry may be less likely to
> publish because their research may involve trade secrets, but plant
> scientists in industry are often able to publish.
>> The image of applied scientists as poorly paid lab gophers is
> ridiculous. The poorly paid part might be true of graduate students and
> post-docs but they will be found in both basic and applied plant science
> departments.
>> David Hershey
>dh321 at excite.com>>> Stefanie Galgon wrote:
> >
> > David,
> >
> > There is a fine line between primary and applied science, especially when
> > pertaining to the field of botany. When I entered into the research field
> > under the tutelage of my major professor, I was told that applied science
> > was poo-poo, and I would only be published if I stuck with the "pure"
> > stuff. But, isn't applied science where the fun begins? Okay, we've
> > discovered this compound, let's check if it has antimicrobial or antiviral
> > activity! Unfortunately, when any one brings up "applied science," an
> > image displays in my mind -- I picture lab gophers running around amidst
> > gas chromatographs, dishes, and microscopes, never observing or
> > questioning, but simply going through the motions while being paid squat.
> > I would love to be given the opportunity to glorify applied botanical
> > research.
> >
> > Steffi
> >
> > ******************************************************************
> > Stefanie Galgon lab/message: (520) 523-7735
> > Department of Biology
> > Northern Arizona University smg4 at dana.ucc.nau.edu> >
> > "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death"
> > Auntie Mame
> > ******************************************************************
> >
>>
