The university needs nerds
It's late. There's no one at the school. Yet, a light is on. It's Professor X and Professor Y. They are working on their own stuff. Yesterday was the deadline to send to the school administration how many citations their work has received and what h-index they have. They didn't answer. What nerds!
I admit it. The above image reproduces the stereotypical construction of science, as it is still presented today in the movies and elsewhere. This idyllic representation has many problems, but, I'm afraid, for today's university and its academics, it seems like an almost ideal condition. I will try to explain why.
What is the job of the University Professor in the 'ideal world'? To research and to teach. So that their teaching is the result of their research and not just the reproduction of a textbook. In turn, teaching will fuel their research, as the 'lesson' will be done in such a way that many 'gaps' in their ideas will be revealed by freely thinking students (emerging researchers, that is). Anyway, many students came to study because they saw the movies we mentioned at the beginning and finally wanted (after years of preparation for the University Entry Exams chasing their tails) to reward themselves by dealing with something that their curiosity leads them to and not the unfulfilled dreams of someone 'else'.
The above image is far from today's reality, in my opinion. Academics are participating in a 'rat race'. Forgetting that even if you finish first in such a race, you remain a 'rat'. They prefer to ignore the meager wages, even when they lack the money to replace their worn-out laptops. They have stopped going to their office to work because the building is not heated. And to maintain their research group, the postdoctoral researcher will have to work in the local coffee shop.
This is a gloomy situation that I am describing. Without wanting to ignore the huge responsibilities of the state for the lack of support of the University, I feel that part of the solution is to love ourselves again and to trust our inner drive. The one that led us many years ago to pursue our studies and to strive to become University Professors. Because maybe we 'envied' the lifestyle of our teacher/professor. In our eyes, it seemed that they had the unique privilege to be able to deal with whatever they wanted. No one asked them to explain how their work would translate into a product or service because 'you are paid with the money of the citizens'. Because practically they believed that they have chosen a job that feels like playing a game. And the craziest thing? They invited others to play their 'game' on weekends by organizing 'conferences'.
They may have obsessions. They may have dysfunctions. They may answer wrong to a journalist who will ask them on the street "when Columbus discovered America". They may write yet another “silly” paper. And yet, I believe that the University needs today more than ever all those who are so dedicated to their work that they forget how it all started and where it can lead. And if the University needs 'nerds', then it also needs goverments and administrators to support them.
P.S. If this text managed to 'connect' with some of you, it's because I often feel like a 'rat'. And from a 'rat', I prefer to be a nerd.
It's late. There's no one at the school. Yet, a light is on. It's Professor X and Professor Y. They are working on their own stuff. Yesterday was the deadline to send to the school administration how many citations their work has received and what h-index they have. They didn't answer. What nerds!
I admit it. The above image reproduces the stereotypical construction of science, as it is still presented today in the movies and elsewhere. This idyllic representation has many problems, but, I'm afraid, for today's university and its academics, it seems like an almost ideal condition. I will try to explain why.
What is the job of the University Professor in the 'ideal world'? To research and to teach. So that their teaching is the result of their research and not just the reproduction of a textbook. In turn, teaching will fuel their research, as the 'lesson' will be done in such a way that many 'gaps' in their ideas will be revealed by freely thinking students (emerging researchers, that is). Anyway, many students came to study because they saw the movies we mentioned at the beginning and finally wanted (after years of preparation for the University Entry Exams chasing their tails) to reward themselves by dealing with something that their curiosity leads them to and not the unfulfilled dreams of someone 'else'.
The above image is far from today's reality, in my opinion. Academics are participating in a 'rat race'. Forgetting that even if you finish first in such a race, you remain a 'rat'. They prefer to ignore the meager wages, even when they lack the money to replace their worn-out laptops. They have stopped going to their office to work because the building is not heated. And to maintain their research group, the postdoctoral researcher will have to work in the local coffee shop.
This is a gloomy situation that I am describing. Without wanting to ignore the huge responsibilities of the state for the lack of support of the University, I feel that part of the solution is to love ourselves again and to trust our inner drive. The one that led us many years ago to pursue our studies and to strive to become University Professors. Because maybe we 'envied' the lifestyle of our teacher/professor. In our eyes, it seemed that they had the unique privilege to be able to deal with whatever they wanted. No one asked them to explain how their work would translate into a product or service because 'you are paid with the money of the citizens'. Because practically they believed that they have chosen a job that feels like playing a game. And the craziest thing? They invited others to play their 'game' on weekends by organizing 'conferences'.
They may have obsessions. They may have dysfunctions. They may answer wrong to a journalist who will ask them on the street "when Columbus discovered America". They may write yet another “silly” paper. And yet, I believe that the University needs today more than ever all those who are so dedicated to their work that they forget how it all started and where it can lead. And if the University needs 'nerds', then it also needs goverments and administrators to support them.
P.S. If this text managed to 'connect' with some of you, it's because I often feel like a 'rat'. And from a 'rat', I prefer to be a nerd.
My latest presentation trying to provide links between redox biology and exercise physiology/sports nutrition
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