Lucid and provocative, it is a very polite corrective to both superstitions of the layman and the triumphalism of the experts. (New Statesman )
A lucid tour. (Simon Mitton, THES )
Stannard takes readers on a tour of some of the deepest questions facing science. (The Independent )
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Multivariate statistical methods are described in this study and advice is given on how best to apply these methods using CANOCO software. Data sets and program files for the case studies are provided on a supporting website. The book is useful to anyone studying complex ecological problems, such as the variation of biotic communities with environmental conditions or their response to experimental manipulations. It is primarily targeted at ecologists who need to analyze data resulting from field observations and experiments.
(1)The beauty of science may be pure and eternal, but the practice of science costs money. And scientists, being human, respond to incentives and costs, in money and glory. Choosing a research topic, deciding what papers to write and where to publish them, sticking with a familiar area or going into something new--the payoff may be tenure or a job at a highly ranked university or a prestigious award or a bump in salary. The risk may be not getting any of that. At a time when science is seen as an engine of economic growth, Paula Stephan brings a keen understanding of the ongoing cost-benefit calculations made by individuals and institutions as they compete for resources and reputation. She shows how universities offload risks by increasing the percentage of non-tenure-track faculty, requiring tenured faculty to pay salaries from outside grants, and staffing labs with foreign workers on temporary visas. With funding tight, investigators pursue safe projects rather than less fundable ones with uncertain but potentially path-breaking outcomes. Career prospects in science are increasingly dismal for the young because of ever-lengthening apprenticeships, scarcity of permanent academic positions, and the difficulty of getting funded. Vivid, thorough, and bold, How Economics Shapes Science highlights the growing gap between the haves and have-nots--especially the vast imbalance between the biomedical sciences and physics/engineering--and offers a persuasive vision of a more productive, more creative research system that would lead and benefit the world.
