Jeremy Teitelbaum
Author Archive
Too Much Science?
Are one or two extra science courses “too much science” for a student with an interest in social and cultural aspects of the environment to have to take? As someone who loves science, I was quite surprised when that question stirred up controversy among faculty working to develop a new major in “Environmental Studies.” The […]
November 14, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Farewell to a Master
I was saddened to learn recently of the death of one of the most influential individuals in the history of computing. This person’s elegant sense of design and his brilliant grasp of the potential inherent in computers to transform the world are visible everywhere one finds a computer. The Mac Powerbook on which I write […]
October 17, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
The Research Funding Version of ‘No Free Lunch’
The US Government awarded 110 million dollars to researchers at UConn (excluding the health center) in 2010. Those funds are the lifeblood of research in behavioral sciences, life and physical sciences, and engineering at UConn. They are used to purchase sophisticated equipment, to mount and analyze large-scale surveys, and to support the personnel – expert staff, […]
October 10, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Contagion: We’re Living It Now
Over the weekend I had the chance to see the new thriller Contagion, which tells of a worldwide outbreak of a new, highly infectious, lethal virus. The movie takes a cool, almost documentary approach to the story, showing the devastation caused by the virus almost in passing. While I often leave the theater after watching […]
September 20, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Seek Peace and Pursue It
In memory of the first responders who, doing their duty, rushed into chaos to save others on September 11, 2001. From Whitman’s Song of Myself. …I understand the large hearts of heroes, The courage of present times and all times, How the skipper saw the crowded and rudderless wreck of the steamship, and Death chasing it […]
September 11, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
A $10,000 BA Degree?
Governor Rick Perry of Texas has challenged public higher education in Texas to provide a BA degree for $10,000. A very distinguished group of higher education experts, including UConn’s Gaye Tuchman, react to this proposal in this morning’s New York Times, arguing whether this is a good idea on educational principles and considering whether it might […]
September 6, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Not With a Bang, But a Whimper
Thoughts on the end of the U.S. manned space program The New York Times reported today that the International Space Station, the last vestige of the United States manned space program, will have to be abandoned in mid-November unless the technical problems that caused a Russian Soyuz resupply craft to crash are solved. It is […]
August 31, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Supporting Civility
A couple of weeks ago, President Herbst announced the publication of a revised code of conduct for the university, calling our attention to newly adopted civility standards. Under the civility heading, the code states that “all members of the University community have a responsibility to treat each other with consideration and respect.” More significant from […]
August 17, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum
Paging Dr. Watson
Unfortunately, a supercomputer won’t drive you to the clinic for a checkup.
July 11, 2011 | Jeremy Teitelbaum