You know I could publish something and be legally barred from sharing it

The world of academic publishing is weird, and while I could try to explain it, I don't think I would do a good job. But to me, it often seems like a scam.

Basically, a bunch of companies who run academic journals receive articles from scientists like myself based on work we have performed, paid for and written up. Then the journals take the research article and send it out to other scientists, who read and review it for now cost, and then send it the journal. Then the journal publishes the work, copyrights the article and attached figures and charges money for people to access it.

There has actually been a large push for open-source publication - which I think is a fabulous idea - and many journals have begun to make their articles available on line for free. As I said, this is great.

But apparently there are companies who are actively fighting against this ... which I feel is kind of evil ... take a look at this article and see what you think.

Continuing with the not good theme

Another story from the Huffington Posts' Sam Stein about the impact of Sequestration on scientists across America - it details a number of different perspectives and if anything, is more depressing than the first story.

This is not good

If you are interested in the current state of academic research in the US (or in my life and future as a scientist) post-sequestration, this article, entitled "Sequestration Ushers In a Dark Age for Science in America", is well worth reading.

And if you are so inclined to write a congressman or senator or someone about it, all the better, because things with science funding are bad and look to be getting worse, and frankly we could use the help.

Fantastic Post about getting tenure

I am not sure how realistic, or applicable, this post is to my career ... but I have read a ton of different things about how to succeed as a young academic and I have to tell you this is one of the most up-beat and pleasant pieces of advice I have read in that vein.

Take a look, the 7 year post-doc ...

Why leave academia?

So I have no intention of leaving academia, and if I do it will be because I have been forced to in order to stay in New York (or California) or because I cannot make enough money or find enough time in academia to support and enjoy my family. These are real concerns, and I certainly think about them a lot, but I hope to continue to do well enough that I can over come them.

I wanted to link to an article by a professor who left academia for industry, and wrote about why he was doing it. Even though he is a computer scientist, and the fields are substantively different, I feel like his reasoning is applicable to all of academic science and is well worth reading and thinking about.

That essay, entitled "On leaving Academe", can be found here.