Fear them: students writing on the web again

Once again, my developmental biology students generate some science content for the web.

They also address the minor contretemps that arose last time over the fact that they are competent to handle themselves on the web. Rev. Frost reassures us that he’s not evil. But wouldn’t he say that even if he were?

Revised UMM job ad

This is the same ad I posted for a position in our biology department the other day, with one very significant difference — I had used the copy we’d put together before we got absolute final approval to fill the position, and once it was locked down, we changed the date.

Notice: We start screening applications on 22 October. If you’re interested, send in that application soon, soon, soon!

Assistant Professor of (Cell) Biology
University of Minnesota, Morris

The University of Minnesota, Morris seeks an individual committed to excellence in undergraduate education to fill a tenure-track position in biology beginning August 15, 2011. Responsibilities include: teaching undergraduate biology courses including a sophomore-level cell biology course, an upper-level genetics elective course, an elective in the applicant’s area of expertise, and other courses that support the biology program; advising undergraduates; conducting research that could involve undergraduates; and sharing in the governance and advancement of the biology program, the division, and the campus.

Candidates must hold or expect to receive a Ph.D. in cell biology or a related field by August 15, 2011. An area of expertise of relevance to our pre-health professional students and complementary to existing faculty interests is preferred. These might include, but are not limited to: immunology, pathophysiology, cancer biology, bioinformatics, and cell signaling. Experience and evidence of excellence in teaching undergraduate biology is required. (Graduate TA experience is acceptable.)

The University of Minnesota, Morris is a residential public liberal arts college serving over 1800 students. As one of five campuses of the University of Minnesota, UMM is located 160 miles west of Minneapolis in the rural community of Morris, MN. The student body is talented, diverse and engaged. The Morris student body is one of the most ethnically diverse in the University of Minnesota system with 20% students of color (12% are American Indian students) and a growing international student population.

The college values diversity in its students, faculty, and staff. The college is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our community through their teaching, research, and /or service because we believe that diversity enriches the classroom and research experience at the University.

This tenure-track position carries all of the privileges and responsibilities of University of Minnesota faculty appointments. A sound retirement plan, excellent fringe benefits and a collegial atmosphere are among the benefits that accompany the position. Appointment will be at the Assistant Professor level for those having the Ph.D. in hand and at the Instructor level for those whose Ph.D. is pending. The standard teaching load is twenty credit hours per year.

Applications must include a letter of application, resume, transcripts, a teaching statement (in which teaching goals and methods are discussed), a research statement (proposing a research program that is viable at a small liberal arts college and accessible to undergraduates) and three letters of reference. Send applications to:

Biology Search Committee Chair
Division of Science and Mathematics
University of Minnesota, Morris
Morris, MN 56267-2128

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Screening begins October 22, 2010. Inquiries can be made to Ann Kolden, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, at (320) 589-6301 or koldenal@morris.umn.edu.

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To request disability accommodation or material in alternative formats contact: UMM Human Resources, (320)-589-6024, Room309, Behmler Hall, Morris, MN.

Never underestimate your students

As I’ve mentioned, I have my upper division classes write openly on the web about the subject of the course. It’s good practice for being comfortable with discussing the world of ideas outside this little sheltered realm of academia, but I’ve always had one reservation: the internet is a cruel place, and I feel a bit protective of my students, so I send them off with lots of warnings and reassurances that I will defend their open expression of ideas and they don’t have to worry about differences of opinion affecting their grades. I’ve had students with whom I greatly disagree get online and make arguments I think are horribly wrong…but it’s all OK, because the purpose of this exercise is to generate discussion and debate.

So I put them to work urging them to be brave and bold and don’t worry about what other people say. And I’ve been all wrong. I didn’t have to worry about them…I had to worry about you.

Yesterday, I’d reviewed their blogs and the comments people had left there, and noticed they were getting a lot of not-at-all-helpful advice, fussing over style and telling them how to write their entries, and in class I started by telling them to ignore all that, I wanted them to find their own voices, when the class chuckled and pointed at the white board. A chill went down my spine.

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The students had gotten annoyed at the condescending tone of a few of the comments, and had decided to deal with it. On the whiteboard was written the complete personal data of one person who had irritated them: they’d traced back his posting info and had gotten his real name, home address, employment history, phone number, etc., and were sharing that information. Before I interrupted them by starting the class, they were debating whether to teach him a lesson themselves or just to post all of that to 4chan.

Whoa. They’ve already got their own cyberpistols.

Don’t panic, I held them off and suggested they do nothing now, and that maybe there are less drastic ways to deal with obnoxious commenters, but still, it was a bit of a reversal and I learned something that you should all learn, too. These are adults in the 21st century, and they know how to take care of themselves on the internet — so don’t get all patronizing with them, and learn to talk with them as equals. Or else.

I feel like I’ve been taking the leashes off a fierce pack of wolves. I’m so proud.

We want to hire a biologist!

The UMM biology program is looking to replace a recent retiree, and we need someone who is an excellent teacher, competent to teach cell biology and a basic genetics course, and with some interesting expertise that can be used for upper level electives in your specialty and can provide undergraduate research opportunities. We will need this wonderful person by Fall of 2011, so if you think you fit the bill and want to be involved in an excellent undergraduate teaching program, send an application in soon! The committee here is champing at the bit to find out who our future tenure track colleague will be, so even though it says our screening period is open-ended, we’re going to get into action in mid-January and late applications will enter an applicant pool where we’re already interviewing people. Don’t delay!

Full Time Tenure Track Position in Biology

Required/Preferred Qualifications:
Required: Applicants must hold or expect to receive a Ph.D. in cell biology or a related field by August 15, 2011. Two years experience teaching undergraduate biology is required. (Graduate TA experience is acceptable).

Preferred: Preference will be given to applicants who have an area of expertise relevant to our pre-health professional students and complementary to existing faculty interests. These might include, but are not limited to: immunology, cancer biology, bioinformatics, and cell signaling.

Duties/Responsibilities: Teaching undergraduate biology courses including a sophomore-level cell biology course, an upper-level genetics elective course, an elective in the applicant’s area of expertise, and other courses that support the biology program; advising undergraduates; conducting research that could involve undergraduates; and sharing in the governance and advancement of the biology program, the division, and the campus.

Program/Unit Description:
The University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) is one of the top public liberal arts colleges in the nation. As one of five campuses of the University of Minnesota, UMM has a unique mission and offers the best of both in the world of higher education–a small, close-knit campus complemented by the power of a world-renowned research University system. UMM is located 160 miles WNW of Minneapolis in a small (5000) rural community.  Our student body is diverse (19% students of color) and academically well-prepared, with 55% earning an ACT comprehensive score of 25 or higher and over 50% drawn from the top 20% of their high school classes.  Our current faculty have received 18 of the University system’s highest teaching award and are very active in research and publication.  To learn more about the University of Minnesota, Morris visit our website at http://www.morris.umn.edu.

This tenure-track position carries all of the privileges and responsibilities of University of Minnesota faculty appointments. A sound retirement plan, excellent fringe benefits and a collegial atmosphere are among the benefits that accompany the position. Appointment will be at the Assistant Professor level for those having the Ph.D. in hand and at the Instructor level for those whose Ph.D. is pending. The standard teaching load is twenty credit hours per year.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.  We are committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.  To request disability accommodations, please contact Sarah Mattson at 320-589-6021.

Application Instructions:
Applications must include a letter of application, resume, transcripts, a teaching statement (with evidence of teaching effectiveness), a research statement (proposing a research program that is viable at a small liberal arts college and accessible to undergraduates) and three letters of reference. Send applications to:

Biology Search Committee Chair
Division of Science and Mathematics
University of Minnesota, Morris
Morris, MN 56267-2128

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Screening begins January 5, 2011. Inquiries can be made to Ann Kolden, Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, at (320) 589-6301 or koldenal@morris.umn.edu.

I know, it says we’re small and far away in the hinterland, but don’t let that scare you. This really is a great good place to work if teaching is your passion. And if it isn’t, we probably don’t want you.

The class writes

I told you I’ve got my development class blogging, and here’s the update for this week.

Don’t be shy. They’ve been told to welcome comments and to brace themselves for possible criticisms.

Who do you trust?

SciAm has a nice report on a survey of people’s trust of authority figures. On a scale of one to five, with five being the most trustworthy, they were asked who would provide accurate information on a range of scientific issues. Look at these results: scientists are highly regarded, while religious authorities are deeply distrusted.

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Before you get too happy about this, though, check out the source of the survey: this was taken of readers of Nature and Scientific American. Can you say sampling bias, boys and girls? That’s disappointing; I’d rather see how the general public views these authorities, since we can already assume that fans of science would rate scientists most highly. It’s rather like posting a poll about the greatest musician of the age on a Justin Bieber fan site…you couldn’t really rely on the results for much of anything.

I notice that the views of scientists on evolution get the highest trust scores, and I can explain that. No matter what you hear from church pulpits, evolution is settled science — any debate on that matter has been resolved for almost a century. This is entirely why the evolution ‘debate’ today is so hot and furious, because it takes remarkable ignorance and fanaticism to disagree with it anymore. It’s also the case that of all the topics listed, evolution actually has the oldest, most firmly established answer among the bunch, so yes, informed people are comfortable with the views of pro-evolution scientists. It’s only the denialists who have to be crazy.

The rest of the article discusses more details of international views on various issues, and mostly they are positive. Just keep in mind — these data are from a well-educated and science-friendly audience, and probably aren’t representative of the citizenry as a whole.

UM backs down

Those must have been some interesting meetings: the University of Minnesota administration was trying to suppress an environmentalist documentary about abuses of the Mississippi river, but every faculty member I’ve heard from on this issue was a bit outraged by the censorship…and now, the university has backed off, and the movie will be screened on 3 October at the Bell Museum. If you’re in the area, stop by and watch it!

We teach developmental biology at UMM

I’m back to teaching developmental biology this term, and one of the things I do in my upper level classes is have students write blog entries on the themes of the course. In the past, I’ve given them space right here to do that, which I’ve found to be a parlous course of action — the commentariat here is savage and brutal, and infested with trollish nitwits who can derail threads spectacularly, so I’m doing it a little differently this time around. I’ve had them create their very own blogs on their own spaces, which has the additional benefit that maybe they can keep them going after they graduate.

So here’s the list of student blogs from my course. Feel free to visit, criticize, comment, etc., but do remember that they’re just now learning, so constructive discussion is far better than our usual ravaging ferocity. They’ve also been warned to be thick-skinned, though, so you don’t have to be too gentle.

Developmental Biology blogs

There isn’t much there yet in most cases, since they’ve just set them up, but I’ll be making weekly links to relevant articles in the future.

While I’m at it, I’ll mention that a former student, Levi Simonson, has a blog from his perspective as an ex-UMM student, now a graduate student at the wonderful University of Oregon. People do leave here to go on to interesting work!