tech2cents (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tech2cents) wrote,@ 2008-09-18 13:15:00 |
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What is IST's flavor
Write a blog post on IST.
Use the following questions as a guide.
1. What is IST’s flavor? What does IST specialize in/do well?
2. If IST has no departments, how is it structured? Does that structure work?
3. Where do I fit into the IST structure?
Halloween is fast approaching, and for those who don't know, that means that small children in costumes will parade door to door, yelling "Trick or Treat!" and holding out bags in expectation of candy.
Those of us who live in apartments, sadly, we will likely not get very many Trick or Treaters, as they tend to assume that folks in houses have more money and therefore better goodies. But, it's always good to have a small bag of sealed treats on hand around Oct. 31st, just in case. How does this relate to IST?
The first question was what flavor is IST. I immediately began thinking in terms of candy. Is it like this bag of assorted treats? Or a more visual metaphor, the candy corn, which metaphorically symbolizes the I, T, and P triangle in white, orange and yellow layers?
IST is probably multi-flavored, like Jelly Bellys. Different combinations of methods, ideologies, and topic areas result in different types of research, publishable in different types of journals.
IST's structure is in a state of quiet flux, I think, composed of slightly mysterious labels such as "centers", and the more specific "labs". Centers, in theory, provide focus, and potentially funding, to a number of individuals and labs.
All proposals for newly formed Research Institutes, Consortia, and Centers should be transmitted for approval to the Senior Vice President for Research/Dean of the Graduate School via the Associate Dean, Dean, or Director of the originating college/unit. Approvals will be forwarded from the Senior Vice President for Research/Dean of the Graduate School to the Executive Vice President and Provost.
Centers have an advantage in grouping individuals of like mind and interest. However, they cannot devise their own course requirements for students or directly impact the academic life of a grad student.
I have sometimes said that grad students wear many hats - we are students, we are sometimes teachers, we are researchers, and sometimes we are university employees. This makes us oddly liminal - we float between identities within a university environment that likes to have it's members well-defined.
Grad students therefore fit into IST in general in different ways, depending on a variety of factors. We will all do research during our time here, and we will all take classes. Beyond that, what a grad student actually does depends largely on the individual grad student's area, maturity, and focus.
Write a blog post on IST.
Use the following questions as a guide.
1. What is IST’s flavor? What does IST specialize in/do well?
2. If IST has no departments, how is it structured? Does that structure work?
3. Where do I fit into the IST structure?
Halloween is fast approaching, and for those who don't know, that means that small children in costumes will parade door to door, yelling "Trick or Treat!" and holding out bags in expectation of candy.
Those of us who live in apartments, sadly, we will likely not get very many Trick or Treaters, as they tend to assume that folks in houses have more money and therefore better goodies. But, it's always good to have a small bag of sealed treats on hand around Oct. 31st, just in case. How does this relate to IST?
The first question was what flavor is IST. I immediately began thinking in terms of candy. Is it like this bag of assorted treats? Or a more visual metaphor, the candy corn, which metaphorically symbolizes the I, T, and P triangle in white, orange and yellow layers?
IST is probably multi-flavored, like Jelly Bellys. Different combinations of methods, ideologies, and topic areas result in different types of research, publishable in different types of journals.
IST's structure is in a state of quiet flux, I think, composed of slightly mysterious labels such as "centers", and the more specific "labs". Centers, in theory, provide focus, and potentially funding, to a number of individuals and labs.
Research Centers should:
- have an identifiable focus
- have on-going funding
- have funding including multiple grants and contracts; not a single grant
- engage multiple faculty (more than 2) and graduate students (optimal but not a requirement)
- have some clearly identified rationale for being established
All proposals for newly formed Research Institutes, Consortia, and Centers should be transmitted for approval to the Senior Vice President for Research/Dean of the Graduate School via the Associate Dean, Dean, or Director of the originating college/unit. Approvals will be forwarded from the Senior Vice President for Research/Dean of the Graduate School to the Executive Vice President and Provost.
Centers have an advantage in grouping individuals of like mind and interest. However, they cannot devise their own course requirements for students or directly impact the academic life of a grad student.
I have sometimes said that grad students wear many hats - we are students, we are sometimes teachers, we are researchers, and sometimes we are university employees. This makes us oddly liminal - we float between identities within a university environment that likes to have it's members well-defined.
Grad students therefore fit into IST in general in different ways, depending on a variety of factors. We will all do research during our time here, and we will all take classes. Beyond that, what a grad student actually does depends largely on the individual grad student's area, maturity, and focus.