The Black Hole

In this first installment of our summer series on the Science, Technology and Innovation Council’s 2010 State of the Nation report, I’m going to take a look at some of the data on who’s getting an education in science and engineering in Canada these days. The report – at least the section I’m talking about […]

Over the last few weeks, Beth and I have been trying to identify a good topic for a summer series that our readers might enjoy.  Just in time, offering the glue to hold our scattered ideas together, the Science, Technology and Innovation Council released its 2010 State of the Nation report. The basics of the […]

After a harrowing Stanley Cup playoff run that disappointed both of us Canucks fans in its final moments, Beth and I have reclaimed our free hours and will be moving full steam ahead with new content for the Black Hole.  Due to the positive feedback we received on last year’s summer series of posts entitled: […]

Lucie Low, newly elected Vice Chair, Finance of CAPS and a current non-Canadian postdoctoral researcher at McGill has just published in Nature a scathing critique of Canada’s system which promised her more than it delivered, and further suggesting that …Canada will lose some of its brightest minds This was of course inspired by the continuous […]

While reading Dave’s last blog posting, I was struck by the discussion in the “How do we identify “good scientists”?” section, because it resonated with something that I’ve been reading for work.  From Dave’s posting: Lawrence argues that instead of giving scientists grants on the basis of what they plan to do they should instead […]

In a February 2011 interview with Lab Times, Cambridge scientist Peter Lawrence ((thanks to Dean G for forwarding these articles and follow-up discussions)) reflects on his own career and complains that “the heart of research is sick” as he charts the changes in the way in which science is pursued.  Briefly, he cites impact factors […]

I’m at the Northern Voice blogging conference today. I usually attend this conference as a personal blogger, but today I’m also going to be sitting on a panel of science bloggers, representing The Black Hole: The Naked Truth: Canadian Science Blogging Scene Panelists: Rosie Redfield (http://rrresearch.blogspot.com/) Beth Snow (http://scienceadvocacy.org/) Eric Michael Johnson (http://primatediariesinexile.blogspot.com/) Maryse de […]

A while back I posted a link to Retraction Watch, a website that reports on research papers being retracted (e.g., due to the science contained within them being fraudulent). Well, yesterday an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) tackled this topic – specifically, they called for “new mechanisms to ensure academic integrity.” As […]

An interesting development for those interested in getting more involved in the science policy world…  CIHR and Health Canada have joined forces to offer fellowships in science policy The Science Policy Fellowships program will allow researchers at the doctoral, post-doctoral, new investigator and mid-senior investigator levels to carry out short-term policy assignments at Health Canada. […]

The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in Canada and they have undertaken a rather substantial redesign of their funding programs.  Late last week, I received a draft version of the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute’s (CCSRI) new IMPACT and INNOVATION grants programs.  In it, the CCSRI details the specific move away […]

Last week, the Easter bunny dropped a sadistically timed present with a Nature special on The Future of the PhD.  Just when hordes of students graduate and many trainees leave to take time off with families for Easter, Nature launches a series of career-contemplating articles that will send many prospective, current and recent PhD students into […]

Following a very popular article by Sonja B. (To MD or PhD: That is the Question), we were asked if we would be interested in having a similar article from someone choosing whether or not to become a postdoctoral fellow. What makes this particular author of interest is that she is not being forced out […]

Quick Hits: During election season, I thought it important to encourage all of our readers to get out and vote, especially those from the 18-24 age group.  Even if you feel frustrated with the current lot of parties and MPs, it is important to remind them that you are out there.  As inspiration, university “vote […]

I was out for dinner the other day with a friend and colleague of mine who I hadn’t seen in awhile, catching up on the goings in each other’s lives. Two big things had happened in her life recently – she’d gotten married and she’d changed jobs. What makes this relevant here on The Black […]

This quarter, both Beth and Dave have made efforts to bring the Black Hole out of e-space and into the new territory.  Firstly, a panel organised by science blogger Maryse de la Giroday at Frogheart.ca will feature Beth at Northern Voice 2011 on May 13 and 14.  Secondly, though it was recorded (and probably aired) […]

I was sitting down with a group of scientists following a football/soccer game the other day and dropped a bomb into the conversation by asking if people thought cancer research got too much money.  Nobody, myself included, disputed the obvious need for funding cancer research as a leading cause of death, but what we did […]

This site was recently brought to my attention: http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/ It’s a site that reports on research papers being retracted (e.g., due to the science contained within them being fraudulent). I thought that in light of our discussions on here about the use of number of publications as the main measure of academic “success,” it might […]

Last year, one of the hottest topics on the site was Budget 2010 and the new rules regarding postdoctoral fellowships. Those entries are still among the most popular: (latest post) 2012 Taxes for Postdocs: Dredging up the Past 2010 Canadian Taxes: Did you get your T2202 and T4a? Budget 2010: Post Docs, be careful what you […]

This blog posting is something a little different than our usual blog fare here on The Black Hole, but something I thought might be of interest to our readers: a chance to publish your dissertation – in haiku form! A friend of mine recently told me about this blog, a place where you can submit a […]

The course that I currently teach at a local college is being set up as open source. It draws on material that is available through open sources, uses an open source textbook, and will be freely available as open source content ((not sure the details of when and where and how, but that is the […]