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Subject:Bridging the academia-industry gulf (chasm?) From:Bonni Graham <Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- RELAY -dot- PROTEON -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 3 Nov 1993 09:59:00 EST
Dr. Mary Beth Raven (bet that feels good to see after all your work!
:) ) writes:
"The "reusable" issue that Ed mentions is tough to study in an
experimental setting--it needs to be studied and tested in a real
setting--which means that companies like IBM and Digital should be
more amenable to inviting academics to conduct research at their
sites."
This brings up an underlying point that has been floating throughout
this entire discussion -- academia and industry _in some situations_
need to be much more closely linked. Absolutely there are important
"pure" research projects that can best be accomplished in a strictly
university setting, even for something as market-oriented as TW.
But at the same time, there are some projects that can _only_ be
accomplished when industry and academia stop sniping philosophically
at each other (as Mary Beth and her company seem to have done -- to
name one example <grin>) and cooperate. I've heard PhD's complain
about how horribly practical industry is, and I've heard corporate
people complain about how "ivory tower" academia is (some of this
complaining has been on this list, even). We both have something to
learn from each other. I don't want to get a PhD myself, but I DO
want the information those who have gone through the process have to
offer. Please, can't we all just get along?
SO, on a practical level -- let's brainstorm some cooperative
projects or ideas. Maybe there are some corporate people who are
just looking for the right opportunity we can introduce to some
potential PhD-ers who can't do it right without them. How can we
get them together?
Bonni Graham |
Technical Writer | em dash, n. A hyphen with
Easel Corporation, ENFIN Technology Lab | delusions of grandeur.
Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- relay -dot- proteon -dot- com | --Ezra Shapiro
President, San Diego STC |
