May 30, 2012

One Countries Satirical another countries Serious Move-Look Homeward Indians?.

India's IITs, IIMs, IISc, and AIIMs are pinnacle of barbarians, (Exibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, and Exhibit D, endless exhibits. 

The Exhibit D is a press release from UNESCO that suggests that India is among the 30 countries that will miss Educational Goal of 2015, UNESCO, UN and other bodies constantly warn India to fix the educational system from caste abuse and sear discrimination, nothing has improved?) 

wherever there are hindus, where there is no Equality, no affirmation, no diversity and no humanity, but full of bigoted minds, so be mindful when you read some quacks from a hindu writer known as Basu, who writes quite a flattering (yellow highlighted) words about India's premier Instituitions as follows......
 Kaustuv Basu, the author of the "Call for Indian Expats" writes that ""Alumni are fond of mentioning how Indian students who cannot get into the IIT of their choice sometimes end up at the Ivies in the United States -- their safety schools'". 
That is a lot more like words coming from the desi's, a typical casteists who brag India is a hindu country, it is in other words an Indian talk, not a realistic and sensible talk. They have no sense of being mindful about what they think and what they say, an unstructured, unthoughtful and loose talk so to say.
The IITs, IISCs and many more universities and higher ed institutes in India are known for their higher end productivity of cheap labor force to supply it to America and UK, but within India what these highly trained IITs has done is a very serious debate only should be taken by honest people, not someone who brags like Basu can justify. Most higher education institutes do have some good teachings but not without disparity, bigotry and caste virulence embedded in every single teacher and student's Mind set. There is no Equality, affirmative functionality and diversity in these places, most or almost all the Directors are casteist hindus, so do 90% of all faculties and most student positions are occupied by the brahmins or those who had the money, power and some background to somehow show a higher score in their school or college curriculum. One would argue about reservation to students, faculties and so on, but most of those reservation are unfilled and there is an obnoxious amount of discrimination that the outside world has no idea to begin with regard to this issue...
Most certainly, it is not only an exaggeration but sear stupidity to say that those who did not get a seat in IIT of their choice ended up in Ivy's?. This is the typical casteist mindset that spews lies and venom, the truth is, most Ivy league Graduates, faculties and technical staff are all from Universities in India, such as Madras University, IISc, TIFR or NII, Bangalore University, such as JNU, or Other specialty universities like Agriculture or Biotech and so on. There is some portion of the graduate students in Ivys perhaps from IITs, IIMs  and so on but they represent a tiny little proportion of the larger numbers from small and not so globally known Universities. Because, the Indian research communities some how composed of lots of hard working, labouring youngsters with dreams to become a Dean, a Professor or Director or make lots of money or start a bio company and so on, they are the one reaches out to Ivys not those self promoting IITs.

There are too many issues why people after moving to US do not return back to India, the sear amount of corrupt administrative system, bigoted faculties and directors, favoritism it the top most reason why the Indian students leave India for seeking green pastures elsewhere?. If one third of the faculty seats are vacant, ask the first question why did not they filled them and how long has they kept these positions vacant?, most reserved seats were never been filled, most reserved graduate students been subjected to terrifying, humiliating discrimination, some drop out, some commit suicide  
Case I: [ Caste-virus breeds in IIT labs : A Report
12Jul08On behalf of Insight & National Dalit students’ Forum, following report is made by visiting IIT delhi campus in the wake of recent inhuman caste atrocity in the campus, one among few which got noticed, hundreds like this go unnoticed. Thanks to media and faculty that successfully bred the caste-virus over the years in such Govt Instituions, by subverting constitutional mandate of equal representation; resulting even after 50 years of few caste superiority in academia. Report: Caste Atrocity in IIT Delhi “A caste-hindu by his very make up is incapable of showing any consideration to an untouchable candidate. He is a man with strong sympathies and strong antipathies”
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (The Untouchables and the Pax Britannica)]
Case II: [ Sunday, August 07, 2011 IIT, IIM, IISc, JNU, AIIMS and Higher Learning Centers of India:- Living Hell  full of Casteists..!AARAK SHUNdalitskerala@ R.Prakash | August 7, 2011 at 10:51 AM | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/pPo08-o9 AARAK SHUN http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/AARAK-SHUN/articleshow/9512625.cms A knock on the door always makes Amit nervous. If it is daytime, he quickly moves the book rack so that it hides the framed photo of B R Ambedkar, dressed in a dark suit and looking at some distant horizon. If it's night, Amit lies still in bed, staring at the fan. As the banging goes on, he slips in and out of sleep. In his dreams he often sees a boy putting a noose around his neck. Sometimes he sees the boy hanging from a rope that's furiously twisting by itself. Then there is dead silence. He can't go back to sleep.
Amit, a student of IIT-Kanpur, is not suicidal. He has been to a shrink, though, and says he lives in some kind of dread. For two years, life on the campus was beautiful - at least until the day his classmates found out his caste, a fact he had masked with a caste-neutral surname.. read full story at the Blog] and if they had gone through at all with their graduation, they will never go back to their old institutes?, the number of graduates who will return back are very tiny?. Indian govt and those who are working on making these instituitions do well, must first fix the inequality, discrimination and other impending issues among the IITs, only then a meaningful progress will be made in these instituitions, certainly they are not anywhere close to how Ivys in US work, I am from Ivy School, Yale, nothing gets as great as this top notch school, I did not see or hear what the writer proclaims.
Call for Indian Expats 
May 24, 2012 - 3:00am
By Kaustuv Basu
Inside Higher Ed: The mere mention of the Indian Institutes of Technology conjures up images of academic rigor and excellence. Alumni are fond of mentioning how Indian students who cannot get into the IIT of their choice sometimes end up at the Ivies in the United States -- their safety schools. But the IITs also face a major problem: lack of new faculty members.“We have very few students in India going for their Ph.Ds. And those that go for a doctoral degree tend to do it outside India, and prefer to stay back and work there,” said Manindra Agrawal, dean of resource planning and generation and a computer science professor at IIT Kanpur. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/24/premier-indian-engineering-institute-wants-open-us-office#ixzz1wOYRbEqR Inside Higher Ed
Science Careers News: We've just reported on a scientist-founded satirical group called Americans for a More American America. Now Inside Higher Ed is reporting in a serious vein on what I suppose could be called "Indians for a More Indian India." It's a proposed plan for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the northern city of Kanpur -- one of the celebrated IITs that are the country's most prestigious scientific universities -- establish an office in the United States to lure some of the many Indian-born scientists working or studying on American campuses back home to faculty posts in their native country.

Unlike at comparable institutions in the U.S., where hiring is highly competitive, at IIT Kanpur, one in three faculty slots goes unfilled, writes Inside Higher Ed's Kaustuv Basu. This faculty shortage reportedly limits the courses and research projects the institution can undertake. 

Low salaries and high levels of bureaucracy are major factors that discourage many Indian Ph.D.s from returning to become professors in their home country. The office, tentatively slated for Washington, D.C., or New York City, would have access to private funds to boost the salaries offered to new hires at the government-supported IIT.

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Univerisity of Washington PostDocs Forming Union- Latest University PostDocs to Unionize!

University of Washington, yet another top notch higher education/research institute known for an impressive history and record setting, rig...

UC System & the Number of PostDocs?

How many PostDocs work at the UC system, this is one of the largest PostDoc group in US and probably in the world, what happens here can be a great event!. When things said and done on the PostDoc unionization, they will join the only Unionized PostDocs, the Uconn Health center Postdocs. Here is the latest numbers from the UC postdoc society website?

Postdocs in Numbers
UC Berkeley 1150
UC Davis 800
UC Irvine 344
UC Los Angeles 1110
UC Merced 20
UC Riverside 200
UC Santa Barbara 300
UC Santa Cruz 148
UC San Diego 907
UC San Francisco 1100
Total 6059

The above numbers are approximate and were correct to within 10 in
March 2008.


NeuroMonitoring- My Professional Blog

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Academic Productivity, a Blog about Academia???

Academics salaries lower than automobile industry worker salary?

Though, a comparision between an academician and a autoworker is not the right choice to do a salary or work related benefits, it certainly brings an issue of importance. What exactly academic people get as a benefits is a daunting task?. Read further about the disparity of salary for academicians and the following thoughtful comments by readers of the blog.


From Mark J. Perry’s blog, I just learned that the average UAW worker with a high school degree earns 57.6% more compensation than the average university professor with a Ph.D. Considering that there are plenty of academic positions that do not enjoy the average salary mentioned in the blog post, this is something to worry about. Average Postdoc salaries according to the NSF are nowhere closer to this figure, and you have to add the uncertainty of these positions (they are always short-term) and mobility demands (expect to move to a different university sooner or later). And of course, academic work longer hours and suffer a lot more psychological stress than car factory workers.

PostDocs Out There!

What PostDocs Favor?

Postdocs favor top biomedical research institutes
Several of the world's top biomedical research institutes--including a couple run by biopharma giants--have made this year's list of the best places for postdocs to work. The annual ranking by The Scientist for the U.S. includes the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (4); U.T.'s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (5); Genentech (6); the Fox Chase Cancer Center (7) and the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (15). Among the top international institutions ranked, the University of Cambridge in the UK jumped from 9th to first place, largely because of their focus on professional training.
The survey found that institutions which consistently rank at the top of the heap are noted for their ability to listen to postdocs' concerns "about uncertain career opportunities, work/life balance, and the need for first-rate professional development."

Some Science this Week?

cow pic LATEST HIGHLIGHT
Population genetics: Rich pastures for cattle genomics
Nature Reviews Genetics
1 April 2008
Two recent papers show how genomics approaches that are applied widely in humans can be put to use in an important livestock species. This Research Highlight discusses these advances — a new method for identifying large numbers of SNPs in cattle, and the use of SNP-based mapping to study inherited disorders in this species.

Interesting Little Piece on Diversity &

From Nature.com, Postdoc Journal

I'm an alien

Jon Yearsley is a senior postdoc in evolutionary genetics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Finding refuge in my science.

"Naturalisations en masse, STOP," is one of the more startling political posters that I pass as I cycle into work. The poster shows that the rights of foreigners are once more up for debate. This reminds me that I, as a Brit, am an alien in this European society.

When it comes to my research, the environment is as familiar as a decent pint of English ale and BBC Radio 4. The culture of science is truly international, and interesting research is exciting in any language. At the last count, my department was home to 18 nationalities, making it almost as diverse as the flowers in a Swiss alpine meadow. And rather than this turning into a Tower of Babel, science is done, null hypotheses are refuted, papers are published and impact factors are recorded.

My research gives a welcome dose of the familiar in what can sometimes be an unfamiliar culture. I wasn't brought up with alpine cows, wrapping my lips around french vowels or trying the odd yodel. The unfamiliar is fun, but I'm glad that my habitual pursuit, science, is an important one. Arguably, scientific method crosses national boundaries. I like to think that even a bug-eyed alien postdoc from a distant planet would find some common currency with earthling academics.

PostDocs Union: New Minimum Ssalary: $37, 740!!

SALARY AND STIPEND LEVELS

UCSF Graduate Division

Current University of California Office of the President, UCSF Graduate Division, and UCSF Graduate Council policies require that postdoctoral scholars receive a minimum compensation equal to $37,400 (effective October 1, 2009). This salary level was established by the UC Office of the President and was consistent with the NIH salary scale at time of announcement. [IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT REACHED WITH PRO/UAW, THE NEW MINIMUM SALARY FOR POSTDOCS WILL BE $37,740 AS OF 9/1/10. SEE THE UCOP WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. PLEASE CONTACT THE UCSF POSTDOC OFFICE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. (jeannine.cuevas@ucsf.edu or christine.desjarlais@ucsf.edu; ph 514-4852)]

UC PostDoc Union Proposal, now Public Document, Read it at the Link?

The union has been working to put together proposal to bring to the University. There was an election for the initial proposal ratification that passed in December. The union and the University have now exchanged proposals which are now public documents: 

(http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies_employee_labor_relations/ne
ws_events/0901-heera_notice_px.html). 

There will be opportunity for public comment on these proposals (on both sides) Jan 20th at the UC administration building in Oakland, and also Feb 3rd. Laura encouraged PD to attend and comment. The first bargaining meeting between the union and the University will be held Feb 5th and 6th. The union will be conducting bargaining surveys over the next couple of months to get PD input, however PD must sign a card to give input. They are also conducting campus working conditions surveys to collect information on good and bad practices. The union will also be seeking authorization to go on strike if necessary during the bargaining process. This will be done through an election, no date has been set. PD who would like more information or have questions can contact Laura. Chair’s note: Laura confirmed that signing a card to give input does NOT enroll a person

PostDocs in Canada Unionize, win Union Battle?

Western’s Postdocs Win Union Battle
Postdoctoral associates at the University of Western Ontario will soon be bargaining a collective agreement as the latest in a growing number of postdocs that are unionizing at universities across North America.Western’s administration oppos­ed the union move, arguing that postdocs at the London campus were independent contractors who didn’t meet the legal definition of em­plo­­yees. The issue went before the On­­tario Labour Relations Board that ruled in favour of the more than 200 workers, certifying the Pu­blic Service Alliance of Ca­nada as their bargaining agent on Sept. 30.

PostDocs in India

How often you hear about PostDocs in general, and how often you hear news about PostDocs in India or China?. Which brings a question?, are there PostDoc jobs in India and China?. PostDocs in these countries is relatively a new development, remember the first time PostDoc was introduced in USA during 1870's, it was such a luxury, it was used to gain some special expertise to expand once background and it was not necessary to have a PostDoc in order to get a Job in Academia or in other arena's?. This is not the case today, it became so important to have PostDoc experience to get a decent job, and may be more than a couple of PostDoctoral position and even after such a prolonged procrastination in Academia, there are huge number of PostDocs life is a treacherous one?.... If this is the case in USA, just imagine in India and China?. PhD holders from India and China used to migrate in huge numbers to US, the conditions of PostDocs got gradually worsened in terms of salary, benefits, child care and future career opportunities, it became like a Slavery in Academia?.
PostDoc Salary is the most debated issue of all of a postdoc's life. So much happened in the past 10 years to PostDoc activities in US. The most profound activity was the postdoc unionization of the Uconn Health Center, followed by the unionization by the largest Postdoc campus in US or perhaps in the world the University of California campuses.
No one knows how terrible could be the postdoc conditions in developing poor nations like India and China, but there is certainly no information about many European, African, Asian and South American nations. Most of the postdoc data available thus far are from US, Canada, UK and the rest of the world's postdoc data is simply redundant?.
Two of the most important countries to watch for postdocs concern or PostDoc plights are India and China, these two nations alone bulk produce two- thirds of the PostDoc pool of this world, while most of them used to move out to either west, Europe or Australia, the trend is changing, more Indians look for the green pastures right there in India, I believe the same applies to Chinese youngsters.
But, is the Indian govt or higher education bodies do their jobs to keep postdocs career equitable and respectable?.
The answer is no, there is not even a body to monitor the welfare of postdocs, at least in US, there is NIH standard and there is the National Science Foundation and various other bodies that influence policy making for postdocs. On top of All the above the new found awareness of PostDocs in US catapulted by UCONN PostDocs after they Unionized? Their unionization is greatly helping a sea change in postdocs plight. Hope the postdocs in India and China watch and learn some lessons and start tightening the policy making to benefit the postdocs....!
So, what is happening to PostDocs in India, I could not find much news, but the Nature forum has a little bit of discussion going on......

This is a public forum

Postdoc Salary in India

Saturday, 21 Feb 2009 18:36 UTC

Hello All
I am Arun, pursuing postdoc in India. I am personally not satisfied with the postdoc stipend offered in India and I believe that the handful of students doing postdoc in India might concur with my view.

The low salaries offered to Postdocs in India is one of the major factor which is impelling Indian students to either pursue postdoc abroad or to join private R&D establishments. This is slowly devolving the scientific future of India.

Read Further:

The Plight of Japan's PostDocs?

The Fate of Japan's Postdocs and their obscure future?

Japan's postdocs open to alternative work

Toshiyuki Misu1 & Akira Horoiwa1

The government and universities must highlight non-academic careers and nurture a diverse skill set, say Toshiyuki Misu and Akira Horoiwa.

Postdocs in Japan have had a tough time finding permanent positions, either in academia or in the private sector. In a 2005 survey by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) to identify postdocs' career intentions, we investigated people's awareness of and desire for non-traditional science jobs (NISTEP Report 161). We asked about 10% of the postdocs in Japan to participate, 66% of whom responded.


Rutgers PostDocs are on their way to Unionize successefully, FAQ!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I get involved with a postdoc union when I don’t plan on being around in a year?

If not you, then who? The postdocs who are currently employed at Rutgers have a vote over whether they and future generations of postdocs get to have a meaningful voice in determining their pay and working conditions. Also, any improvements we can make here can serve to raise standards for postdocs at other institutions across the country.

PostDoc Message Group

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UCLA PostDoc Union Negotiations with University?

Subject: Update on Postdoctoral Scholar Negotiations
UCLA Graduate Division

Dear Deans, Directors, Chairs, and Faculty:

As of November 3, 2008, the University of California recognized the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) as the exclusive representative for addressing wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment for the following Postdoctoral Scholar title codes:
• Postdoctoral Scholar – Employee (Title Code 3252)
• Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellow (Title Code 3253)
• Postdoctoral Scholar – Paid Direct (Title Code 3254)
• Postgraduate Researcher – FY (Title Code 3240)
• Postgraduate Researcher – AY State Funds (Title Code 3243)
• Postgraduate Researcher – AY Extramural Funds (Title Code 3245
• Visiting _________ - Postdoc (Title Code 3370)

The University and the UAW have commenced negotiations on an initial collective bargaining agreement for the postdoctoral scholars unit. Below is a short summary of negotiations currently in progress.

UPDATE ABOUT POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR NEGOTIATIONS – APRIL 3, 2009

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Today's PostDoc & their Plight?

A man of his stature with the title “the NIH director”, supposed to be the highest and most respectable government authority and policy maker on issues in science/medicine writes “we should not eat our seed corn but protect it”?.

his writings underlies the fact that even this high and mighty NIH director knows the problem of the young scientists of today?, especially the postdoctoral fellows. But yet, neither he nor the scientific committee's at the NIH has taken necessary measures to help improve the current NIH funding system. This area is grossly/largely ignored or deliberately let loose without much restructuring.

The whole academia or higher education system in USA needs a careful reorganization, otherwise what you see will continue, a single faculty of 65 or 70 years old will have all the funding available and sit on it for years until his/her demented brain kills all the funding with as many as 32 grants (MOST OUTRAGEOUS DISPARITY) and

our most valuable and efficient young scientists will be struggling to meet the ends between the academia, lab and their family commitments.

What our current academic policies and atmosphere does to our young scientists is to chase the potential scientists out of labs and academia. Why blame these youngsters if they seek green Pasteur elsewhere like a “biotech job or an industry job”, they have no choice than to look elsewhere for their future.


STEM EDUCATION

Plight of the Postdoc

Is Modern American Science Strangling Its Young Talents In the Cradle?

In some cases, one can even single out

an apparent hoarding of research funds.
In 2007, two hundred scientists received six or more NIH grants, and a single investigator won 32 grants, while many others got close to ten.
An NIH advisory panel has recommended that grant awardees devote at least 20 percent of their time to each, but these numbers show a clear disconnect between intentions and reality. These multiple awards are going to established investigators—who are certainly not spending one fifth of their time per study—while younger scientists would probably devote more energies to the work. Thus, laboratories around the country are fostering a “survival of the oldest” dynamic.