Food for Thought: Great Research Being Conducted at a Public University

Parent Cafe
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<p>[New</a> source for biofuels discovered](<a href=“http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uota-nsf042308.php]New”>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uota-nsf042308.php)</p>

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<p>more public school research
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[url=<a href=“http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/viking_29_paper.htm]Viking”>http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/viking_29_paper.htm]Viking</a> 29 Paper](<a href=“http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/tpv.htm]TPV[/url”>http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/tpv.htm)</p>

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<p>If a person who wanted to study earth sciences in biology, ecology, food sustainability, land and seas, and engineering related to these earth and human activities, I would try these universities, first, second, and third. Private universities would be dead last. </p>

<p>Intel, which has its major production and research facilities in Oregon, broadly supports the OregonState (OSU), PortlandState(PSU) Universities. Nike, supports Univerisity of Oregon(UO) and there is a reason why Olympic Track and Field and NCAA T&F is held in Eugene repeatedly.</p>

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<p>As someone who reviews hundreds of grant proposals for the NIH I can categorically state that the best research at public universities equals the best of private schools. The rankings below show publics compete just fine for NIH dollars (10 of the top 25). Take the rankings themselves with a grain of salt – there are many apples and oranges. E.g., some universities include affiliated hospitals (JHU) and some don’t (Harvard, which includes HMS but not hospitals like BWH, MGH,and BI-Deaconess, even though their faculty are appointed at HMS). Also, they are based on total $, which includes indirects; the latter are typically higher at privates (indirect rates are negotiated between institutes and the NIH, and then, absurdly, are believed by the administrators that concocted them). Also, the table is from 2005; NIH no longer reports these rankings, presumably due to institutional self-esteem issues.</p>

<p>The difference I see in publics v. privates is depth of talent. The latter, with deeper pockets for recruitment, space, and spreading the teaching load, compete well across the board. The former, in part because faculty may be supported by state salaries, maintain some people who either do not do great science or have not figured out how to package it appropriately for review.</p>

<p>1 JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY<br>
2 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
3 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
4 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO
5 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
6 DUKE UNIVERSITY
7 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
8 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
9 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
10 YALE UNIVERSITY
11 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
12 HARVARD UNIVERSITY
13 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
14 STANFORD UNIVERSITY
15 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
16 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
17 VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
18 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON
19 BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
20 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
21 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
22 EMORY UNIVERSITY
23 UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
24 CORNELL UNIVERSITY
25 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER/HSC AURORA</p>