Scientific Professions

essay

The Power of Invention—and the Value of Diversity and Inclusion

Inventions benefit society and improve lives. Their economic impacts show the value of investing in more young people and their opportunities for learning. Policymakers could support programs that encourage more women, racial/ethnic minorities, and people from lower-income families to become inventors.

commentary

Outputs of the Future

Are all types of research outputs of equal value? How do different outputs serve different purposes? Exploring these questions could benefit not only funders and universities, but also result in overall better use of research resources.

Catriona Manville, Steven Hill

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Social Manipulation, Boko Haram, Citizen Scientists: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap looks at hostile social manipulation, stopping the next Boko Haram, a citizen-science success story, and more.

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Exploring the Challenges Facing American Workers

A panel of experts at RAND discussed changes in the U.S. economy and findings from a survey that asked more than 3,000 Americans about issues they face in the workplace. Frequent hostility, rising inequality, slow wage growth, and changes in the demand for certain skills are some of the issues affecting workers.

commentary

Why the Mental Ill Health of Academic Researchers Remains a Hidden Problem

The mental health and well-being of higher education staff is a significant challenge, probably even more so than the evidence indicates.

Susan Guthrie, Catherine A. Lichten

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Professional Expectations, Families and Brexit Shape Future for UK International Researchers

Mobility has become an even higher priority for researchers since the results of the UK’s EU referendum, Brexit. To continue to attract and keep top talent, the UK needs to understand how and why researchers move between countries.

Susan Guthrie, Catherine A. Lichten

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'Star Trek' at 50: How the TV Series Inspired a Boy to Become a Scientist

William Marcellino discusses how “Star Trek” convinced him at an early age that science and the advancement of human knowledge could make the world a better place.

William Marcellino

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Scientific Workforce Diversity: A Conversation with Raynard Kington

Grinnell College president and RAND alumnus Raynard Kington discusses the need for (and reality of) diversity in the biomedical scientific workforce.

commentary

The Realities of Silicon Valley's Lack of Workforce Diversity

Major Silicon Valley tech firms have released statistics indicating their workforces are largely made up of white men. Corporate America is on the receiving end of a complex chain of social and educational factors that continue to leave minorities behind in terms of college graduation, and both minorities and women behind in terms of STEM degrees.

Lawrence M. Hanser, Nelson Lim

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Metrics Mess Calls for an Umpire, Not a Purge

Bibliometricians, who have so far paid little attention to how their creations behave when released into the wild, should be monitoring how metrics are being applied and devising guidelines for best practice, writes Gemma Derrick.

Gemma Derrick

commentary

Getting in the Access Loop: Mentorship for Publishing African Health Research

Mentorship at various levels could help overcome barriers to joining the access loop of international health research publishing, while also fostering greater communication and stimulating innovative, collaborative international research, writes Janice S. Pedersen.

Janice S. Pedersen

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U.S. Science Is Holding Its Own: Despite Cries of Alarm, We Remain the Global Leader in Innovation

Since the end of the Cold War, many observers have feared the United States is losing its leadership in science and technology, but RAND research shows that the U.S. has more than kept pace with its peers by several measures, write Titus Galama and James Hosek.

Titus Galama, James Hosek

commentary

Creating a World Center for Scientist-Explorers

Published commentary by RAND staff

Lee Huntsman, Kenneth Shine, et al.