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Techniques are presented for conducting biographical research. These include researching other individuals besides the primary subject to obtain historical context, and traveling to the regions the subject visited or lived in for background and influential environment.

Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England, Education Developer Alan Jenkins points out universities have an obligation to make sure students benefit from research and teaching. He suggests the introduction of fee paying, by parents and students, means the students have the right to know more about the research being undertaken by staff. Jenkins feels teaching and research should be linked. He points out staff often do not want to separate research and teaching. Some good research universities, in the US, were found not to be giving the same standard of teaching to their students.

Many professors at liberal arts colleges and community colleges use their summers, when they are freed from teaching, to pursue their research interests. While some busy themselves in libraries and laboratories, others perform fieldwork. Carlow College anthropology professor Jane Dirks, for example, is continuing her ethnographic research on a subculture of dog owners in Pittsburgh, PA. Others use the opportunity to combine work with travel, to engage in joint projects with family or friends, or to follow nonacademic pursuits, such as political activity or social work.

Introduction Research administrators quite often are isolated from faculty. We spend a great deal of time in our offices formulating budgets, filling out forms, and making sure that all proposals [...]

US universities can adopt the Dutch model of 'science shops' to integrate university research with contemporary social issues and help government aided, private and public organizations to cope with financial problems that affect research. The science shops at Dutch universities conduct research on topics given to them by local governments, community organizations and public service groups. Common citizens and a diversity of social groups can benefit from participation in such community research centers which involve low budget outlays and focus on social issues.

An interpretation of the Report of the Task Force on the Health of Research, or the Brown Report, is presented. The report highlights the viability of the US to translate scientific and technological advances into concrete societal gains compared with other countries. It is viewed as a call for the US to start considering ways on how to measure research output as well as input. Such a measurement system can help improve scientific productivity.

A research paper finds that U.K. students studying for a Ph.D. in the social sciences are unable to develop the quantitative research skills needed for academic posts in the field.

Research on the impact of science inquiry tools on classroom teaching and learning practices is discussed. A pedagogical framework for teaching and learning in technology-enhanced, inquiry-based science classes is presented.

The article discusses the problems faced by scientists who turn in their work for review before proposed deadlines. The article expresses a need to reward timely submissions and penalize those who are late.

Using an integrated analytical method, the consolidation of qualitative and quantitative data, obtained from geographic information systems, is discussed.

The government is striving to make the UK a world leader in scientific research with a five-year programme published this week. The DTI plan aims to exploit science and technology [...]

The three reasons for managing research being different from managing other human activities are identified and elaborated. The review of the uniqueness of the R&D work environment and R&D personnel would elaborate on the factors that identify the reasons for the difficult management of R&D projects and personnel.

The Smithsonian Institution took a long-awaited step this week, selecting 18 researchers to help guide this conglomerate of 16 museums, a zoo, and a half-dozen research centers through a reorganization [...]

This paper reports on an initiative to strengthen the research activities of engineering faculty at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. As a specific objective, the project attempts to improve the number and quality of publications in peer-reviewed journals by young members of the faculty. The main activity implemented under this initiative is a workshop for a small number of participants. The theme of the workshop is the publication process, and the topics are grouped into three main parts: production of a manuscript, evaluation by peers, and conflicts in the publication process. The publication process is here seen as a way to enter into a more profound set of problems frequently faced by young researchers, which may cause difficulties in their activities and production. Thus, the workshop also introduces the participants to problems related to the history of science, philosophy and methodology of research, ethical dilemmas that arise in research, and aspects of the sociology of the publication process. During the workshop, the participants work on a procedure for manuscript reporting related to their research projects. The initiative has been running for 3 years, and the initial assessment indicates a clear increase in the motivation of the participants toward research activities and an increase in the publication of papers.

This paper explores the conceptual basis for existing and emergent institutional patterns in the context of partnership approaches to technology development. Drawing examples from recent studies of private enterprise activity in India smallholder horticulture, it suggests that agricultural innovation as a process involves a wider range of organizational types than the conventional policy focus on public sector research organizations would tend to suggest. It uses the concept of a 'national innovation system' to argue that a partnership approach is adopted as a core methodology for engaging science and technology development with the livelihood demands of the poor. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words -- agriculture, development, partnerships, innovation, policy, India

There has recently been considerable interest in research and practice that rely substantially on ideas from both model management and database management to solve problems that cannot be adequately addressed by either field alone. Following this frontier, this paper examines the essential nature of model management and relational database management, and discusses the validity of parallels which appear to exist between them. The characteristics of applications, functions, representations, utilizations, and research are used as a basis for conducting comparisons. Through these comparisons, the strengths and weaknesses of each field are evaluated, and significant similarities and differences are identified. An application for making use of the parallels identified is also presented in the paper. Rather than restricting the ideas and techniques applied within each field, this paper encourages the cross-fertilization of both model management and relational database management, in the hope that this may spawn creative ideas for research. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Model management; Relational database management; Structured modeling

Postdoctoral researchers play an important role in the rapid dissemination of information and new techniques, fueling the advancement of science and the development of interdisciplinary fields. In the United States, [...]

Germany's vaunted research system may be too rigid for it's own good. Critics have accused it of being overly hierarchical and too slow to respond to hot research areas, and [...]