The Insiders
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Apr
15
Dr. Carl Wieman Speaks!
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 15, 2007 | 6 Comments
On Friday I sat down with Nobel-laureate in physics, Dr. Carl Wieman to ask about the 12 million dollar science education initiative he’s heading up at UBC to improve undergraduate courses for the science masses. I wrote a post about the basics of the initiative earlier, so I won’t repeat them now. You can find […]
Apr
12
Executive Interview Series, Part I: Jeff Friedrich, AMS President
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 12, 2007 | 6 Comments
Yesterday, Wednesday the 11th, I had the pleasure of invading the presidential office to talk to our own Jeff Friedrich. The interview is 51 minutes long, but well worth it – Jeff talks about all the big issues in impressive depth. So click the link, and let Jeff’s dulcet American accent soothe you while you […]
Apr
11
University Boulevard
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 11, 2007 | 1 Comment
There is an interesting petition circulating around Facebook (the new place for activism, it seems). I’ve skimmed it and it made some excellent points, so here is a link:University Boulevard Petition Rationale (from the website linked): Listen to what students want! The “What’s the plan” campaign produced a really excellent review that reports the following, […]
Apr
11
Ask Dr. Wieman
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 11, 2007 | 5 Comments
Later this week, our own Maayan Kreitzman will have a sit-down interview with Dr. Carl Wieman of his eponymous Science Education Initiative. (See below.) We’ve got some questions, but we thought we’d put it to our readers – what questions would you like to ask Dr. Wieman? What about his initiative, science education, philosophy, or […]
Apr
9
"…approach the teaching of science as a science" – Carl Wieman's schtick.
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 9, 2007 | 9 Comments
It sounds like a dream – a high profile and hugely funded project (about 200 k per year, currently) entirely dedicated to improving the academic fortunes of the masses of undergrad science students. Students that currently seem to leave their lower-level physics and chemistry courses more detached, zombie-like, and unready for what real scientific enquiry […]
Apr
8
The VP Guessing Game
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 8, 2007 | 1 Comment
Towards the Old Admin Building, aka the road to power Stephen just sent this notice out to all students and presumably faculty/staff: Dear Colleagues: I am pleased to report that the search for a new Provost andVice-President (Academic) is progressing well. After a final round ofconsultations with representatives of faculty, staff and students, theSearch Committee […]
Apr
7
Some Updates
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 7, 2007 | 4 Comments
1. Re: Tobacco ban on campus: the Province is suing big tobacco companies (a cost recovery lawsuit, Link). “We’ve always taken the position that because they sold and promoted their products in our market, (resulting) in damage to our citizens, that we have the right to legislate against their conduct,” said Oppal. I don’t know […]
Apr
5
Closure of Two University Libraries
Posted by: Neal Yonson | April 5, 2007 | 4 Comments
So, there was a notice sent out to a select number of students (and I have no idea which ones), saying that the Math and MacMillan Library would be closed, as well as reduced hours in other libraries due to the budget shortage. The official notice is posted behind the cut. My problem as a […]
Mar
22
Neat new stuff
Posted by: Neal Yonson | March 22, 2007 | 2 Comments
And a plug. I refer readers to Maclean’s Education. A helluva site with tons of good articles. There’s a very useful piece on how to get a reference letter for grad school, a skill that students far too often find themselves without. And even discussions on Facebook. Apparently Spencer Keys (a friend of the show) […]
