Brian M. Lucey

Tag: science

  • What medieval cosmology tells us about the value of Arts and Humanities in universities

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    Here is a really interesting post on medieval cosmology : Cosmology: Unearthing a 13th-century metaverse | The Economist. which shows that really, the two sides of modern universities cant work in Iisolation. In essence the project which is reported took the work of a 13C philosopher and applied modern mathematical concepts. What they found was rather…

  • Managing “People Risk” – A seminar series

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    So, along with some UK colleagues the Finance group in TCD have gotten a grant from the ESRC for a seminar series on managing people risk.  All to often we get concerned about structuring systems that cant fail to find that they do because someone somewhere messed up. The software and hardware do not matter…

  • Good news is no news for Irish universities it seems

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    This week was a busy one for news, what with the ongoing Boston marathon manhunt, the CP2 disagreement etc. But, in the university area at least one good news story was broken. The Leiden rankings (yes, yes, rankings, we know…) emerged and TCD (and to a lesser extent UCD and UCC ) did well indeed.…

  • Behavioural Economics and the recession

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    This is a version of an opinion piece in the Irish Examiner 9 March 2013 One of the features of the recession, or depression or whatever it is we are going through is that the role of economists and economics has become more in focus. Seen from the inside however what is stark is how…

  • STEM and HSS journal cuts in Irish University Libraries

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    Universities are research and teaching institutions, and at the core of research lies the ability of the researcher to discover what is and what is not known about an area. This in effect involves as comprehensive review of the literature as possible and if the library holdings of journals are not as complete as possible…

  • Downgrading Irish University Libraries

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    I have noted previously the hollowing out of the academic sector in the non replacement of professors who have left the Irish univeristies.  Now we also see this in action in the university library sectors. Courtsey of Deputy Peter Mathews who solicited these data via a PQ we see in the first table the number…

  • Why we should keep and abolish the Seanad ; Sean(s), Science and Senators

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    Sometimes a debate comes along in the upper house that is worth listening to. Usually, and this is I think, down to the (limited) franchise, this comes from the university senators. Last week Senator Sean Barrett (TCD) moved a series of amendments to the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland)(Amendment) Bill 2012. This bill is in essence…

  • Basic or Applied Science?

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    Is this applied or basic science? Theres a growing perception, at least from some quarters, that the SFI focus now is almost entirely on applied science. The best route to scientific success now would, I suggest, be to hire a PR company and somehow persuade the funders that this was worthy of prioritization. Its government…

  • Hollowing Out

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    So, thanks to Pearse Doherty ( although sent on 6 Nov this seems to have only hit my mailbox now…) we now have a clarity on the reduction in staffing from the top levels of Irish universities. In particular, TCD and Maynooth and Limerick ….. In response to a question he obtained from the Dept Education the following…

  • What do or more like dont we know about Gold?

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    Earlier this week I was at a seminar in London organized by the London Bullion Market Association. I and some others spoke.  Slides, and soon I understand, podcasts, of the event are available here and comments are welcome.