In recent years, ethics committees have been strengthened in the French research landscape. Objective displayed by these bodies : ensure upstream that a study or experience will not harm the people who participate. In the Anglo-Saxon world, although these committees (or Institutional Review Boards , IRB) have long been imposed in the humanities and social sciences (SHS), they raise a […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Research: ethics committees, the risk of a “bureaucracy of virtue”?
How to approach an inter-disciplinary thesis
Interdisciplinary research utilizes techniques from two or more disciplines to come up with solutions to problems. Increasing number of universities worldwide are recruiting professors who can lead interdisciplinary research projects. While there are many benefits that entail doing interdisciplinary research, there are some downsides to it as well. My masters research was highly interdisciplinary involving […] … learn more→
Origin of QR codes and why they’re on the rise
Picture this: you pick up a hair shampoo’s trial pack at the supermarket and towards the end of using it, you love the effect it has on your hair health and quality. You find a customized QR code on it that allows you to re-order a 500ml bottle of the hair shampoo from their e-stores. […] … learn more→
How do we support research engagement?
Research engagement is a government priority in many countries. While the requirements differ, there is a growing body of research and practice that can help inform how we respond. In June 2019, I visited eight universities in Canada and the USA and met with 65 managers and academics to find out what how research engagement was […] … learn more→
A planner’s approach to the first draft
Writing a draft. Mmm. The word ‘writing’ suggests that all you have to do is sit down and type or scribble away. And lo and behold a text is born. But there are different pathways to writing a draft. Some are less freeform than others. As Helen Sword suggests, academic writers are generally either planners or […] … learn more→
A climate change curriculum to empower the climate strike generation
It’s too late to protect them from it, so how do teachers tell children about climate change without scaring them? The good news is that young people are already engaged – the students taking part in climate strikes show that young people want action and are willing to skip school to show how serious they are. But […] … learn more→
At these colleges, students begin serious research their first year
Rat brains to understand Parkinson’s disease. Drones to detect plastic landmines. Social media to predict acts of terrorism. These are just a few potentially lifesaving research projects that students have undertaken in recent years at universities in New York and Maryland. While each project is interesting by itself, there’s something different about these particular research […] … learn more→
Admissions scandal mom gets 14 days in prison…We’re asking the wrong question
The “Admissions Scandal,” where parents were paying great sums of money to “sneak” their kids into top schools has finally made its way into the court system, and to judge by what has happened to the first to make it to sentencing, it does not look good for those who’ll come next: Felicity Huffman Gets […] … learn more→
Teenagers are vulnerable too – how social workers are trying new ways to keep them safe
Over the past four decades the child protection system in England has increasingly concentrated on preventing the abuse and neglect of young children in their homes. In response to multiple government inquiries, such as those following the killing of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié and 17-month-old, Peter Connelly (known as “Baby P”), the focus has been to reduce risk and prevent the abuse […] … learn more→
Debate: Higher education, let’s replace the classroom in the heart of the city!
Internet infrastructures have provided support for an already long-standing dream of disseminating knowledge to as many people as possible. But the ambition of open science is not limited to issues of access that new technical and legal means facilitate a little more each day. If they aim to circulate research results much more fluidly, it is also a […] … learn more→
