Scott Rich, Ph.D.

I’m reminded of recent stories in @theatlantic.com on grade inflation.

The common thread?

The idea that educators are now evaluated on student “satisfaction” rather than, you know, whether students actually learn what they are supposed to.

We’ve got work to do.

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The part of this that doesn’t get talked about enough?

The creeping expectation that educators are in the “customer service” business.

Education shouldn’t be thought of as a business at all, while we’re at it.

(Can you tell it’s end-of-semester grading season? 🫠🫠🫠)

A proud #NewPI moment to break-up your daily doomscroll:

In six weeks, my first rotation student went from not having coded since undergrad to having a 2D neuronal network visualized via movies up and running. AND they want to keep doing computational neuroscience as part of their thesis 😀

The current AP and Coaches Basketball Poll rankings with Michigan, Duke, and UConn all highlighted in the Top 5.

The world is on fire, but at least it's a great time to be a college basketball addict who got his undergrad from Duke, his Ph.D. from Michigan, and currently teaches at UConn 😉

Today was a good day 😈😈😈

"Neuroscientists need better training in computational methods."

We got you.

Join us in July: neuromatch.io/courses/

Our #ComputationalNeuroscience course is the perfect way to gain practical experience and build a strong foundation in this field.

That halftime show is why only Detroit/Michigan teams should be allowed to do the Seven Nation Army chant at sporting events. An explosion of Detroit pride.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

NOT OUR RIVALS
*clap, clap, clapclapclap*
NOT OUR RIVALS

(I also may or may not have slept on a snowy sidewalk for front row seats to such a game in Cameron, and yes I recognize the hypocrisy.)

As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers; slashed billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest sponsor of medical research; and threatened to oust the panel of medical experts charged with recommending preventive cancer screenings. Hundreds of N.I.H. grants and clinical trials were cancelled, affecting thousands of patients. I worried about funding for leukemia and bone-marrow research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I worried about the trials that were my only shot at remission. Early in my illness, when I

Just an absolutely gutting essay by Tatiana Schlossberg, a writer, mother of two young children, and cousin of RFK Jr who is dying of leukemia.

www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

This is terrifying.

As university educators, if we can’t trust that students’ grades actually reflect their knowledge and understanding, where do we even start? How do we teach dozens (hundreds!) of students at a time if they don’t all have the appropriate foundation?

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One of the only recent time travel shows (spoiler alert for a years old show that’s spoiled in its own trailer?) that uses it as a proper storytelling device and not a gimmick. Plus, there’s an internal logic and rules that it sticks to for the whole run. Can’t recommend enough.

Grant resubmitted. With a four month old baby. Hallelujah!

I know I should feel some sense of pride/accomplishment/relief, but right now all I’m able to think about is what I would’ve improved if I had another month and/or a less sleep deprived brain.

#NewPI imposter syndrome at its finest!

Waiiiiit… does this apply to the resubmission in submitting Monday that is b 99.9% done?

I’m not sure if I appreciate the extra time or am bad I’ve worked so much to finish things this week only for it to be for naught.

It’s the latter 😡😡😡

Oh trust me, there was still a bad review… it was R1! But even that may have been the simplest, most straightforward (and therefore easy to address) bad review I’ve ever gotten.

I’m still actively looking for the other shoe that is bound to drop, but haven’t found it yet 😉

Since the vibe around here has changed over the past 24 hours (wonder why?), let me add to the good news with my own:

After a long wait, the lab’s first paper received a very reasonable R&R!!!

Can’t emphasize how good this is if it gets universally adopted.

I felt like such a burden on my (very supportive!) mentors every time I had to ask for another letter, or prod them about a deadline. It’s just an unnecessary extra stressor on everyone involved in the process.

As much as I love watching Sarah Strong be better at every aspect of basketball than everyone else on the court, I’m constantly wondering what could’ve been if Kara Lawson had been able to keep her in Durham…

Umm… If KK Arnold has leveled up the way she seems to have nothing else matters, because everyone is going to be fighting for second behind UConn.

(Also: Hi fellow Chronicle alum! 😀)

Ummmm I think baseball is broken

I’m at the #NewPI stage where I still respond to every email inquiry. It’s not sustainable, but I want to at least try.

But regularly getting emails addressed to “Dr. Scott” is going to burn that out of me quickly.

If you don’t take the time to know my name, do I need to take the time to reply?

‘I’m alive, but battered’: Philip Pullman’s new novel was a struggle — The Washington Post After 30 years and two trilogies, Pullman reflects on the world of His Dark Materials.

There was a looooong time I was pushing to name our daughter Lyra, so when I say I’m excited for this it may be the understatement of the year.

(Aside: I hope all of us scientists are putting His Dark Materials in the hands of our children ASAP.)

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Nearly a week and still stuck on a “Decision in Progress” status… I’ve never experienced a stall like this at this stage! By the time I get a decision it’ll be four full months, which seems unusually slow even for these unprecedented times 🫠🫠🫠

The first time my Dad duties have helped my work: my baby girl’s poop explosion just reset my brain enough to write the perfect sentence for an idea I had been agonizing over for the previous hour 😂😂😂

The anti-jinx never fails.

Omg this worked back into happy anxiety mode GO TIGERS

After 3+ months in review, the status on the lab’s first manuscript has finally progressed.

Cue the anxiety spike to every email until the decision comes. 😅🤔😂

🤞🤞🤞

In all my years of having my mental health disproportionately determined by sports (yes I’m aware of the problem!), I’ve never felt so… RESIGNED to the end of a once promising season like I am with these Detroit Tigers.

May this skeet anti-jinx them into playing actually competitive baseball.

First grant as a Dad submitted!

Ok, it was an LOI.

But on newborn-addled levels of sleep and time to work, I’m still counting this as a big win… regardless of the outcome 😀

#AcademicSky #neurosky #compneurosky #NewPI

Agreed. This is one of those situations where one would hope secure(ish) tenured faculty would carry the water for their more vulnerable non-tenured colleagues. One can dream…

Should You Be on a Gluten-Free Diet? — Scientific American Unless you have celiac disease, there are few health benefits to a gluten-free diet This article was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American‘s board of...

Counterpoint: the never-ending gluten-free fad creates so many more options to those of us who ACTUALLY have Celiac 😂

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