Eroding economic competitiveness of academic research institutions

In the nine years since finishing my doctorate in public health, I have observed the arcs of friends's biomedical research careers and noted some trends -- at least of the anecdotal kind. If you agree with each point, put them together and see if you agree with my conclusion.

First, over the last 10 years obtaining a junior academic research position has reached historically difficult levels. The most immediate explanation is NIH's flat budget through the Bush years, when NIH's policy is to preserve the research programs of older, more established researchers at the expense of young investigators: the "eat the young" policy.

Second, the breakneck pace of building research facilities undertaken by major institutions and funded by bonds has imposed greater pressure on institutions to maintain high levels of extramural research funding in order to support the overhead and service the debt engendered by the new facilities. This favors the bankability of senior, more experienced researchers who have a track record of bringing in cash, which younger researchers struggle to establish.

This has led to a third, natural outcome: the deflection of strong, young researchers to government and private sector (specifically consulting and pharma) scientific appointments. And not only is this an effect of deflecting people who otherwise would be willing to accept academic research positions if openings were available, but also the plain fact that the lack of stability and reduced quality of life dissuades aspirants almost immediately upon graduation.

Perhaps in your own field you have noticed the graying of faculty with only a relatively few junior faculty being groomed to take their place within the next ten years. In fact, you may have noticed the number of junior faculty decreasing. This brings me to my final observation. As the government and private sectors have absorbed young research talent, these sectors have become aware that they have capabilities that equal and possibly exceed those of established academic research programs. Many young scientists in these sectors have advanced their own research agendas, but without the career uncertainties plaguing academic research. People are raising families and publishing. And, most crucially, this work is being accomplished without the nearly 70 percent overhead being charged by academic institutions on extramural research funding. So, my conclusion is this: why would the government and private sectors pay 70 cents on the dollar to universities for overhead when they can accomplish pretty much the same work in-house. The 70 percent premium is even more stark compared to the 10-15 percent usually charged by private contract research firms, which makes the proposition to government research programs very simple: increase the share of research conducted by contractors when the work cannot be conducted in-house.

Don't Let That Book-Learnin' Slow You Down None!

National Endowment for the Arts - Reading - New York Times: "In seeking to detail the consequences of a decline in reading, the study showed that reading appeared to correlate with other academic achievement. In examining the average 2005 math scores of 12th graders who lived in homes with fewer than 10 books, an analysis of federal Education Department statistics found that those students scored much lower than those who lived in homes with more than 100 books. Although some of those results could be attributed to income gaps, Mr. Iyengar noted that students who lived in homes with more than 100 books but whose parents only completed high school scored higher on math tests than those students whose parents held college degrees (and were therefore likely to earn higher incomes) but who lived in homes with fewer than 10 books."

There are homes where there are fewer than 10 books? If that includes cookbooks, then we're really in trouble.

I don't doubt that reading is declining in America, along with every other elementary skill, but I wonder if the results hold up if reading on the internet is included. Certainly, the stylistic range of internet content is wider, ranging from the devil-may-care style of blogs (which I love) to the New York Times, but it should count for something.

Also, might it also be true that Americans are writing far more than even ten years ago?

Thanksgiving 2007

Some clips opf MDC during Thanksgiving 2007 from my bro', Steven.

Apple ice cream for the holidays

Another ice cream recipe, but this time it's apple. The recipe is an adaptation from the Ben & Jerry's dessert book of B&J's peach (p. 38) and apple-strawberry (p.51) recipes. A perfect Autumnal treat. The trick here is to remember that apples are relatively high in sugars, so restrain yourself from adding much more sweetness to the ice cream. If you like, you can omit the cinnamon. And, remember, it's apple cider jelly, not apple jelly.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups peeled apples (Macintosh or Jona Gold are good).
• 0.50 cup apple cider jelly.
• 1 cup sugar (2 0.50 cup portions).
• 2 large eggs, or 0.50 cup egg substitute.
• 2 cups heavy cream.
• 1 cup whole milk.
• 0.50 lemon, juice of.
• 0.50 Tablespoon cinnamon, or as much as 1 Tablespoon.

Recipe
Break down the apples

1. Chop the peeled apples on the larger side of fine (I don't favor pureeing). I like chunks of apple in mine, so I put some bigger pieces (0.25-inch) aside then add them back once the rest of the apples are chopped.
   
2. Combine and toss the chopped apples, 0.50 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes.
3. Remove apple mixture from refrigerator, then pour off and reserve the juice.
4. Return apple mixture to the refrigerator.
   

Make the sweet cream base

1. Whisk eggs in mixing bowl until light & fluffy (1 - 2 minutes).
2. Whisk in remaining 0.50 cup sugar a little at a time, then whisk until completely blended (1 minute).
3. Pour in heavy cream and whole milk, then whisk to blend.
4. Add apple cider jelly, then whisk to blend.
5. Add 0.25 cup of reserved apple juice. The recipe can probably tolerate up to 0.50 cup, but because the juice is so watery, be careful not to add too much or your ice cream will have ice crystals. Or you can play it totally safe and just omit the juice; the apple ice cream already tastes pretty sweet and apple-ly.
   
6. Add 0.50 Tablespoon cinnamon. I've also tried 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, but it was just a little too much. Start with 0.50 Tablespoon and work your way up.

Make the ice cream

1. Prepare your ice cream maker as directed by the manufacturer.
2. Add sweet cream base to your ice cream maker and freeze as directed by the manufacturer.
3. When the ice cream seems to be near stiffening, add the apple mixture.
4. Continue freezing until the ice cream is ready. Makes a very generous quart.

Peanut butter ice cream

My ice cream making lore. I use a Kitchenaid mixer with the ice cream making attachment. What? Don't tell me you're still using your peewee electric ice cream making machine, or, gad, elbow grease? Below are some practical hints for making the peanut butter ice cream recipe in from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book (1987) , pages 74-75.

• Very awesome and very peanut-buttery! Strongly suggest using a "natural" peanut butter.
  
• Recipe calls for 1/3 cup peanut butter. I say make that a generous 1/3 cup.
• The Kitchenaid whisk makes short work of dissolving peanut butter into the Sweet Cream Base.
• I augmented the recipe with malt (1/3 cup), which adds a maddeningly subtle complexity to the flavor. I couldn't lay my hands on Carnation malt, so I used Ovaltine which seemed to do the trick, but next time I might try 1/2 cup Ovaltine. Still looking for Carnation.0
• If you pour chocolate syrup or fudge over the ice cream, you get a peanut butter cup taste sensation, which I think is preferable to incorporating chocolate into the ice cream itself.
• As always, use pasteurized egg substitute.

David Edelstein, clueless film critic

After seeing "300" this weekend, I was perversely interested in what NPR's review was like. The review by David Edelstein was not only predictable, but really atrocious. You can listen to it hereabouts:

NPR : The Spartans and the Persians Battle in '300'

I wouldn't mind the negative review if it were pitched above the level of a "Church Lady's" outrage. So I ranted back to NPR:

"Edelstein is clueless: basically, Edelstein's review says that he has a problem with computer graphics and that he is easily distracted by big muscles. He's not reviewing a movie, he's carping. Look, "300" is not camp (Edelstein doesn't know the meaning of the word), and it's not conventional drama (like those two classical failures 'Troy' and 'Alexander'), so to evaluate the movie on those terms is to be obtuse. And "300" has nothing to be defensive about, as he presumes. "300" is a film interpretation of a >>graphic<< novel, yet Edelstein dimly takes issue with the movie's graphic stylizations, whether it's the computer-generated Persian hordes or the classical posturing of the male physique. And while Edelstein sneers that "300" is a "video game without a joystick," he misses the intense physicality stamped throughout the movie, both at the battle front and home front. Edelstein's presumption that only a Playstation-addled, testosterone-besotted teenage male could like this movie is certainly a bit harsh, but no more than interpreting his review as the work of an out-of-touch hack who cannot see over the generation gap, and cannot comprehend the trend that movies are not only visual, but becoming more graphical. Edelstein's cheap shots at actors' "pectorals" was an amusing reminder that some reviewers are easily frightened by the human body, unless it's Scarlett Johanssen's.

Outta beta/Back for 2007

Transferred Rabbit Hole out of beta so that it coexists with Hydroponic Hula. Am leaving for the Philippines and Hong Kong in a week and may try to record the trip by blog. We'll see.

C. Frederick Mosteller

The great statistician, Frederick Mosteller, died recently in Falls Church, Virginia. You can read his story here, here, and here.

I am personally saddened because I had the pleasure of chatting with Professor Mosteller at a meeting about 10 years ago between doctoral students and the steering committee of the Harvard School of Public Health. I knew we would be at the meeting together, so I brought along my copy of "Fundamentals of Exploratory Analysis of Variance," which he coedited with David C. Hoaglin and John W. Tukey. I picked up this book cheap as a library cast-off; otherwise it would have cost me $170 new. My fanboy intent was to get Mosteller's autograph in his book, so I made a bee-line for the seat next to his when the meeting started. During a break from discussing the doctoral student experience at Harvard, I leaned over to Professor Mosteller and shyly asked for his autograph. Until that moment, I had known him only by his redoubtable reputation -- founder of the Harvard statistics department, and all that -- and sitting next to him he seemed practically jovian with his bright eyes and mane of white hair. He must have been about 79 at the time.

When I asked for his autograph, he furrowed his brow ("Uh oh, that's the end of me," I thought), then a tremendous smile broke across his face. I suppose he was amused because he probably was rarely asked for his autograph, like a rock star. He was even more amused when I asked him to inscribe his book. When he uncapped his pen, I thought someone that supremely senior would have just signed "Fred" and handed back the book, but he took a moment to think before writing a revealing inscription: "Looking forward to applications." What a thing to write to a nameless doctoral student! It also told me that for Professor Mosteller the application of statistical theory, of which he was a master many times over, was at the forefront of his mind. A remarkable attitude in one who is as well known for his theoretical contributions as the practical questions to which he brought to bear his theoretical insight. It also reminded me of Pasteur's remark something to the effect, "There is no such thing as applied science, just the application of science." I also found Professor Mosteller's simple inscription to be extraordinary encouragement in the intellectual pursuit. I have never forgotten it.

After the initial awkwardness of my request, Professor Mosteller asked about my thesis work (in part, an application of generalized linear mixed models) and I was happy to hear his historical view of the techniques I was using. He was memorably warm and supportive toward this trainee, and thereby also set an example for me when engaging younger colleagues.

Blogger in beta migration

As soon as Blogger permits, I will migrate Rabbit Hole to Blogger in Beta. Meanwhile, enjoy my new blog on hydroponics (Hydroponic Hula), which I will be setting up on Blogger in Beta any second now.

Very, very sad.

Appreciations: Spalding Interrupted: "In 'Swimming to Cambodia,' Spalding Gray quotes his mother, who committed suicide when she was 52 and who always said, 'Think of the starving Koreans.' When his obsessions begin to overtake him in that monologue, he reflects on 'the therapeutic joys of living in New York City. It always works. As soon as you think you're crazy, all you have to do is look over your shoulder.' But at a certain point for Mr. Gray, it was no longer possible for him to look over his shoulder for someone worse off than he was. Starving Koreans no longer did the trick. They never do if you're as depressed as Mr. Gray was for much of his life. He disappeared on Jan. 10, and his body was found in the East River on Sunday. "

The Onion A.V. Club | Pootie Tang: A Look Back With Director Louis C.K.: "Chris [Rock] asked me if there was a movie in it. Because the first time Pootie was on the show, Pootie's promoting his movie Sine Your Pitty On The Runny Kine, so we always joked that someday that movie should be made. "

Ah, one of my favorite movies - "Pootie Tang" - gets the Onion treatment. Say it wit' me, "Sine Your Pitty On The Runny Kine."

Ralph Nader Does It Again: "If Mr. Nader didn't learn anything from the 2000 election, the voters certainly did. People might have voted for him once under the impression that sending a message was more important than picking the next president. We doubt very much that they will make the same mistake twice."

Amen. To the 2000 Naderites, to whom we owe so much, if you want to send a message, use Western Union, not the bloody ballot box.

Moyers to Leave PBS to Write a Book: "Bill Moyers, the television journalist, author and social commentator, plans to leave his weekly PBS magazine 'Now'' after the elections to write a book about his former boss, President Lyndon B. Johnson, the public broadcasting network said yesterday. "

Saddening. Moyer's "Now" was the best news program no one ever heard of, probably because PBS scheduled its broadcast for freepin' Friday night.

Bush's War Against Nuance (washingtonpost.com): "There is something childlike about the 'Meet the Press' transcript. The repetition. The simplistic thinking. 'Saddam Hussein was a danger to America,' the president said repeatedly. But how? He had no missiles that could reach our shores. He had no nuclear weapons program. He did not play ball with terrorist outfits or, for that matter, they with him. 'The man was a threat,' Bush said. How? How? How?
'He had a weapon,' the president insisted. But he didn't, remember? That was the whole point of David Kay's report. Oh, but Hussein was a madman.
The president does not do nuance -- that we know. But the failure to come up with weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is not a nuance. It is a massive reversal of fact, hot turned into cold, tall into short. Bush's inability or refusal to come to grips with the new facts is not the product of a poor performance or an errant tongue, but of a troubling insistence that his beliefs cannot be wrong. That -- nuance be damned -- makes him look like a dope. "

With barely any politeness, Cohen calls Bush a "dope."

ESPN.com - MLB - A-Rod to get Big Apple introduction Tuesday: "NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez is coming back to New York, the city he left when he was 4, and moving onto the biggest stage in town -- Yankee Stadium.
Baseball's highest-paid player, and perhaps its most talented, was finally and officially dealt to the New York Yankees from Texas on Monday after commissioner Bud Selig approved the record-setting swap.

'I'm pretty excited. This is a big, big one,' Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said at the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.
'It ranks with when we signed Reggie,' he said, a reference to slugger Reggie Jackson."

Spring training begins this week, and Steinbrenner has gathered the Gods of Baseball to his Mount Olympus. An astounding deal. I'm an Orioles fan, and expect the O's to perform above 0.500 (at the minimum) this season, but it may be that we'll only busting our behinds to contend with the Red Sox for the wild-card berth.

Op-Ed Columnist: The Health of Nations: "he Economic Report of the President, released last week, has drawn criticism on several fronts. Let me open a new one: the report's discussion of health care, which shows a remarkable indifference to the concerns of ordinary Americans � and suggests a major political opening for the Democrats.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 82 percent of Americans rank health care among their top issues. People are happy with the quality of health care, if they can afford it, but they're afraid that they might not be able to afford it. Unlike other wealthy countries, America doesn't have universal health insurance, and it's all too easy to fall through the cracks in our system. When I saw that the president's economic report devoted a whole chapter to health care, I assumed that it would make some attempt to address these public concerns.
Instead, the report pooh-poohs the problem. Although more than 40 million people lack health insurance, this doesn't matter too much because 'the uninsured are a diverse and perpetually changing group.' This is good news? At any given time about one in seven Americans is uninsured, which is bad enough. Because the uninsured are a 'perpetually changing group,' however, a much larger fraction of the population suffers periodic, terrifying spells of being uninsured, and an even larger fraction lives with the fear of losing insurance if anything goes wrong at work or at home. "

The Economic Report of the President, which came under fire for praising overseas outsourcing, apparently also says "So what?" to the uninsured. Kerry should lift lines from this report extensively for his campaign ads.

An Insolent Puppet Roils Canadian Politics: "An Insolent Puppet Roils Canadian Politics
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS

Published: February 16, 2004


ORONTO, Feb. 15 Conan O'Brien came to Toronto last week, and he nearly started a civil war. Just kidding, sort of.
On a taped segment on Thursday night's 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien' on NBC, the puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog visited the Winter Carnival in Quebec City and touched the third rail of Canadian politics by telling the Quebecois they ought to learn English since they live in North America.

'So you're French and Canadian, yes?' Triumph asked a passer-by in a Continental accent. 'You're obnoxious and dull.'
If that were not enough teasing along the delicate cultural divide between Francophone and Anglophone Canadians, the puppet told another: 'I can tell you're French, you know. You have that proud expression, that superior look.'

And of a third, rather plump, man the puppet asked: 'Are you a separatist? Maybe you should try separating yourself from doughnuts first.'"

Many of you may already be aware of my fascination with Triumph, and now he's the cause of an international incident!

Newsday.com - Insurgents Kill 22 In Daylight Raids: "Fallujah, Iraq - In broad daylight, scores of gunmen firing mortars and throwing grenades stormed Iraqi security posts in this city yesterday, freeing prisoners while killing at least 22 people, mostly Iraqi police."

I think I'm losing track: is this the fourth, fifth, or even sixth attack this week? The operational tempo and the efficacy (both tactical and political) of the attacks is impresive. And the daring of going after Abizaid himself should call into question any characterization that Iraq is a reasonably secure place.

Newsday.com - Bush Goal Was Dodging War: "What matters to all our senses is that he is a president who struts around as a war hero, who dodged Vietnam and most of the National Guard drills and who with less shame than anybody we have had maybe ever, sends your kids to a war that he ducked as if he was allowed to do it by birth. "

Jimmy is white-hot and pot-on.

Opinion Earnest Dumas - February 13, 2004: "Give George W. Bush credit. Who would have dreamed that he could get by with a political maneuver so brazen as putting Laurence Silberman in charge of an 'independent' commission to investigate the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq war? The country should be boiling with outrage but hardly a whimper was heard.

Putting Vice President Dick Cheney or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in charge of the inquiry would have been too transparent, but even they do not have Silberman's record of protecting the Bushes from scandal and punishing their critics. Whitewater aficionados on both sides will recall Silberman's role in the campaign to destroy Bill Clinton. When the commission's work is done - long after the election - Silberman will see to it that much of the blame for anything requiring blame will be borne by, who else?, Bill Clinton. Silberman's co-chair is former U. S. Sen. Chuck Robb, picked for his reputation as a malleable man who never rocks the boat.

Silberman is a federal judge but he has never let the black robes or the code of judicial conduct stand in the way of getting dirty when he needed to. He has been a political loyalist first and a judge fifth. "

The Silberman connection. Bushies can only play with a marked deck. And the press, with the exception of the Arkansas Times, have not picked up on Silberman's glaring thralldom to the Bushies. Didn't anyone in the press read Brock's "Blinded by the Right," where Brock describes being mentored by Silberman.