University research:
Achieving goal of creating new knowledge
By Sandy Johnstone
Of the Emerald
The scientist examining an organism
through a microscope, the psychologist
testing students about alcoholism and the
literary expert reading an ancient
manuscript seem diverse.
But at a place like the University they are
all after the same goal — the creation of
new knowledge.
"If there wasn't research we would still
think the world was flat, we'd still be
bleeding people as a form of heeling and
we'd still think the earth was the center of
the universe," says Dick Hersh, dean of the
graduate school.
Research is an integral part of the Univer
sity, and all professors are expected not on
ly to disseminate knowledge to students,
but to contribute some of their own to
society.
"A person in research is a much better
model for what it means by learning. They
are constantly in contact with learning,"
says Dick Hersh, dean of the graduate
school. "It is humbling."
Professors must know what is already
known in their field before beginning
research, which gives students the advan
tage of learning the newest information,
especially in upper division and graduate
level courses.
"When they walk into the classroom they
are at the frontier of at least a piece of their
field," says Hersh. "Students come into
contact with the most reknown people in
the field."
Researchers may not be the best pro-'
fessors, Hersh admits, but it does ensure a
high level of knowledge.
"It doesn't guarantee they are good
teachers, but they should know what they
are talking about. Research is how we
guarantee the professor is supposed to
know more than the text," he says. "Text
books are usually two to five years old and
stay in print three to seven years before
they are revised. Textbook knowledge is
quite a bit behind what is known."
But classroom knowledge isn't the real
test of research. Professors are required to
publish their work in professional journals,
texts or through conferences.
"It's a way we force the faculty to remain
honest and accountable. They can get away
with things in class, but not with their
peers," Hersh says. "People who do not
publish are judged by their peers not to
have anything worthwhile to say that is
new. It tells us (the University) if people are
worth keeping."
The pressure is generally felt more by
young faculty who must prove themselves.
When professors are eligible for promotion
and tenure, the personnel committee looks
at three major factors — teaching, research
and service. Not all professors are expected
to be great researchers, but they must make
up for it in other ways, says Hersh.
One way to show the viability of a par
ticular line of research is to attain a research
grant. Grant money most commonly comes
from the federal agencies such as the
Department of Education or the National
Science Foundation (See graph below).
Writing a grant proposal is complex, tak
ing from 40 to 100 hours, says Hersh. After it
is submitted to the agency, the proposal
will be sent out to a panel of experts in the
field who evaluate it. The proposals that are
funded are the ones rated excellent by the
most people.
"Someone has decided you are damned
good compared to a national sample," says
SOURCES OF RESEARCH GRANTS
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EDUCATION
PUBLIC
HEALTH
SERVICE
NATIONAL
SCIENCE
FOUNDATION
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Graph* by Shawn Bird
Emerald graphic
Hersh.
Receiving grant money usually allows a
professor a certain amount of release time
from teaching duties to devote to research
work. For example, professors may ask for
enough money to pay for one-third of their
salaries and then would spend one-third of
their time doing research.
The University also adds 40 percent, a
number predetermined by the federal
government, to each grant proposal to
cover fixed costs like lights and
maintenance.
The University funds 10 to 15 people per
year for the summer, giving them about
$2,500 to help them continue their research.
Usually the money is used for special ac
tivities like visiting a particular museum,
ruin or laboratory in another part of the
world.
How do professors decide what topic to
research?
Usually they start by accumulating so
much knowledge in a certain area that cer
tain questions pop to mind, says Hersh.
"If you've got so much knowledge that
you know what the edge of a field is, you
find out what questions are for the future
and can raise questions yourself," says
Hersh. "New knowledge raises new ques
tions by raising new unknowns.
"Research is an answering and question
ing process."
The results may be only as good as the
question asked, he says.
"An important part of the quality of
research is to define the particular pro
blems well — raising the right questions."
Researchers read all they can in their field
to shortcut their work and make sure they
don't replicate research or information.
They can use other people's research to
build their own and others will use their
research as well.
"Your research gets read and used," says
Hersh. "The polio vaccine was not
developed by chance. Those scientists had
read all the information published in the
last 30 to 40 years."
In some fields such as molecular biology,
many people may be working on a pro
blem, and it is a race to be the first to
discover the answer.
"Hard sciences are viewed as the queen
of research because science is most visible
in terms of breakthroughs in medicine and
other fields," says Hersh. "Laboratories are
more visible than libraries."
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