Tag Archives: Richard D. Alexander

Science is problem solving: two crucial first steps

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Joan E. Strassmann

I have an extremely intelligent friend with a Ph.D. in something really fancy who raised his kids with a great deal of freedom. I’m sure he did this for a number of reasons, but one that he articulated early on … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Problem solving, Scholarship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What E. O. Wilson got right, what confused him, and what he disrespected

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Joan E. Strassmann

The brilliant conservation and ant biologist E. O. Wilson wrote a bizarre piece for the Wall Street Journal recently. It is modified from an upcoming book of advice for young students. It has inspired an intense flurry of highly negative … Continue reading →

Posted in Experimental design, New ideas, Research, The joy of teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Nominate your hero, your mentor, or your colleague for that well-deserved award

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Joan E. Strassmann

Do you sometimes wonder how the people that get prizes are chosen? Can you think of someone who had a big influence on you that should get a prize? Identify the prizes given by your scientific societies and nominate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Helping others, Managing an academic career, Scientific meetings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scientific error, scientific fraud: why did Gould claim Morton mismeasured skulls?

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Joan E. Strassmann

False theories die with disproof, but false data may live forever, or so my undergraduate advisor, Richard D. Alexander, told me. A single false fact can corrupt a dataset, a study, even a field. I remembered this as I counted … Continue reading →

Posted in Experimental design, Scientific methods and pitfalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments