More brain drain at the UA

I took at class with both… it’s sad that so many in this field are leaving the UA.

Nancy Moran and Howard Ochman, married researchers in the UA’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology, will head up research in microbial diversity at a new facility at Yale University next year.

It will be a blow to the University of Arizona, colleagues said Tuesday. In addition to being in the top tier of researchers in the world in evolutionary biology and microbial genomics, both are Regents’ Professors — a title reserved for exceptional teachers.

“By any measure, it is a huge loss for the university, but bigger than that because they both are just first-rate teachers committed to the university and big supporters of everything that a public university should be,” said Michael Nachman, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

via Huge loss for UA: 2 professors are headed for Yale | www.azstarnet.com ®.

It was the UA that broke the laws

There are many things wrong with what happened. First of all there’s just the idea of arresting a grad student for writing in chalk. The university should know better.

Why guns on campus is a bad idea

As a math instructor at the UA, I really really don’t like this. A few years ago a student killed 4 people in the Nursing department… if I remember correctly one was a teacher who was teaching the class at the time.

Some goals in life

I think the following are all attainable and reasonable:

• Finish Ph.D. this year
• Heal myself from damage endured during grad school
• Write a book
• Be a guest on Daily Show (not Colbert, he’ll kick my butt)
• Receive MacArthur fellowship
• Give a TED talk
• Since time is short for a Fields medal, I will settle for a Nobel Prize
• Pay off school loans
• Get decent health insurance

I’m not sure about the last two, but I can dream right?

Genetics of Jewish lineages

Dr. Hammer, in the news again… a nice mix of science and religion working together 🙂

Data sharing amongst scientists

We received only one of ten raw data sets requested. This suggests that journal policies requiring data sharing do not lead to authors making their data sets available to independent investigators…

Perverted and twisted logic

Now, for some more twisted logic!

Why AZ is as bad as Michigan?

Plus, comparing Tucson to Detroit is just wrong… them’s fighting words!

Is Green the new Red, part I: Water

I once heard about a survey that was conducted many years ago.  A group of elementary school children were asked “if all the dairies in America shut down, where would you get your milk from?”  The students responded:

“From the store.”

This story illustrates a fundamental issue in society today, and that is a severe disconnect with the sources of what sustains life.  As long as things are well and resources abundant then there is no problem until, of course, when it is too late.

When I recently drove through the sacred land of northern Arizona, through the Navajo reservation and through places like Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chelly, I wondered to myself:

Are we any different than the school children in the story above?

Full story: Is Green the new Red, part I: Water

Is Green the new Red: The beginning and end of science

Is Green the new Red: The beginning and end of science

NAU’s a lumberjack, yes they are

This is an interesting turn of events. It turns out that NAU is pimping out its football team to save the school. By playing the UA, or Ole Miss in two months, the team will earn over $410,000…

Tucson’s thunder tracking nerds save tens of thousands of humans in hurricane

This Thanksgiving, one of the things Obama should be thankful for is the technology coming out of Tucson and how without it a political career can be ruined.

Today we look back at where we have come, and look forward to the Tucson technologies that are being used to save countless lives.

via Tucson’s thunder tracking nerds save tens of thousands of humans in hurricane