Educating the academic society

[Rzepa, Henry]

>  All well and good for the majority of people at the meeting I
>presume, but for someone like myself (a postgrad student who does the
>departments web pages, for the fun of doing it) this poses a problem.
>Basically, I am not believed when I try to convince people that they
>should be interested in the subjects discussed at the meeting.

dont worry, speaking personally, I received (still receive?) pretty
much the same response, and I am not a PG!!

>  I have seen that most academics only respond when told about/shown
>something like this from their peers.  Hence, I suggest it necessary
>for the 'fab four' (as the RSC page put it) to spread the word.

Well, I cannot say to have travelled far and wide, but I have
given around 15 "live" lectures over the last 18 months.
Put bluntly, if a HoD (that Head of Department) though it
would serve to increase their research grading, they would jump
at it like a shot!!  Or to put it even mor bluntly, the first time
I was taken semi-seriously is when I raised some money against
the theme!!

>Obviously, giving demonstration lectures at every institution
>in the country is not feasible, but possibly key institutions in
>different areas of the country could be chosen for lectures.  It
>would of course require the involvment of the RSC (probably
>financially) to stir up sufficient interest in Heads of
>Departments/managers/lecturers and to convince them that the Web is
>not a complete waste of time.  (This appears to the be the biggest
>fear at the moment - that the web/internet in general is a waste of
>time and is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome in convincing the
>academic masses).
>  I would like to hear any opinions about this.  Has anybody any
>other suggestions as to how the education of the eventual end-users
>of this new technology should be achieved?  Are we trying to do
>too much too quickly?

Quality is the real issue. Once it starts cranking up, people will
obviously become interested!   Hence our attempt to introduce
a "best of chemistry web" that was recognised by the ACS.
Jim Krieger in that regard has done us proud
see http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/951113/pg1.html

I hope you all vote!!

http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/infobahn/vote.html

Dr Henry Rzepa,  Department of Chemistry,  Imperial College,  LONDON SW7 2AY;
rzepa at ic.ac.uk via Eudora Pro 2.1.3; Tel  (44) 171 594 5774; Fax: (44) 171
594 5804.
World-Wide Web URL: http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/  


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