I am doing an NSF study on career outcomes for NSF applicants and grant recipients.
The above is, verbatim, a question.
I guess the survey writer either has a very good sense of humour, or none at all.
More like this
The Scientist blog reports that a representative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) was at the annual meeting of the America Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). The NSF representative pointed out a couple of things things:
Melody points me to this gem of an advisory from the NSF:
On January 8, NSF will be hosting a very important panel discussion on climate change and journalism. Details are below.
NSF to Host Panel Discussion on Communicating Climate Change
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
January 8, 2009
Some awesome photos from NSF teams working in Antarctica (click for larger versions). This one makes me want to hum "O Little Base of McMurdo, how still we see thee lie. . . "
Hmm. It could be a question asked of someone who used to be a tenured faculty member who is now working in industry, or on soft money. Most likely, though, it is simply standard form for a question, "Are you now or have you every been ?"
What Astroprof said. I think it is a valid question to ask. Indeed, it might be interesting to how what fraction of the people who say "yes" to this question say "no" to "do you have tenure right now."
Or, perhaps, they're just trying to let people who've done very naughty things still answer yes.
-Rob
Oh, the information content solicited by the question is entirely appropriate - they're looking to see how the people who did/did not get certain types of funding did in the medium term compared to the rest.
It was the tone of the question that amused me.
Maybe you have to have been through US Immigration to get it.
Yup, it's a legitimate question, but the wording is so reminiscent of the McCarthy era. You'd better answer it truthfully though. We have ways of making you talk...
Unbelievable. Is NSF going to start baising grants based on one's tenure or non-tenure status?
I respectfully refuse to answer on the grounds that it might piss off some other members of the Faculty. And, no, I'm not going to mention any names, either...
Cue background music, by Leonard Cohen:
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
Thats how it goes
Everybody knows...