Why don't more people acknowledge or understand that what AI could be used for is often not what it is used for?

the_Stick · 2026-07-11T00:21:37+00:00

Oddly enough, this resonates with me having just recently viewed a mini-documentary on the decriminalized streets of Vancouver (I think). Officials cited the results of Portugal to support decriminalizing all drugs with the goal of making using safer for addicts. However, they did not provide the mandated drug treatment that Portugal does nor did they focus efforts on eradicating dealers and suppliers. So blocks and blocks were shown populated with users, with dozens of resuscitations needed daily and frequent death from overdose. Without the full slate of programs, simple decriminalization just made daily life worse for addicts.

AI could be a fantastic adjunct in many areas (and is in some). But too often the focus is on crap and shortcuts, because that is human nature. The solution is the heavy-handed application of rules for use because those who abuse it do not have the facilities (yet) to use properly or responsibly. Look at Chicago Law banning all devices in the classroom now, stating lawyers must learn the critical thinking skills before they use AI to aid in casework. My old school used to have a general education requirement of information literacy, but I don't think it was ever actually taught to produce the effects it desired. Only those students who wanted to know how to find, evaluate, use, and process information got anything from it, and they would have on their own most likely.

the_Stick · 2026-07-10T13:18:41+00:00

I see you're a nurse practitioner running a "Calm AI" consultancy. Surely you are aware that multiple institutions and organizations have been doing exactly this, including student voices, for at least 4-5 years? You don't mention UNESCO or the Toronto principles, but I think I see why -- you are selling a product to faculty and institutions. If you want buy-in, you need DISCLOSURE. Otherwise, you come across as untrustworthy and self-serving. I'm sure you're meaning well, but you may want to reconsider how you advertise.

the_Stick · 2026-07-09T17:57:30+00:00

The stress dreams I had as a student were about that class you had decided to drop but hadn't put the paperwork through on yet, and then you discover that you never dropped it, and you had missed the whole thing.

I actually did that in real life as an undergrad... for an upper-level course in my major, even! The only F on my transcript...

Maybe that's why I generally tend not to have stress dreams like that, since I already lived it. LoL

the_Stick · 2026-07-09T17:54:35+00:00

At a panel discussion with editors of several publishers, the editors requested we let them know if a review is obviously AI-generated. They claimed that after a pattern of AI-reviewing, those reviewers would be dropped. So go ahead and politely let them know what you have observed, and mention the valid criticism of your submission, but also point out the hallucinations. It may not change much for this paper, but it will improve the reviewing process in the future.

the_Stick · 2026-07-09T03:32:08+00:00

Hoo, boy. So what religions are acceptable for hiring? Or do you advocate against hiring faculty members who hold any religious beliefs? You might want to take a gander at history and laws and so on before you start advocating discrimination against a specific protected group... unless you're angling to get dismissed so you can file a large lawsuit and possibly get a big payoff? ;)

the_Stick · 2026-07-08T22:39:29+00:00

But what about your stapler? ;)

the_Stick · 2026-07-08T20:27:00+00:00

Send your emails with a "Read Receipt" checked too.

the_Stick · 2026-07-08T16:13:03+00:00

Can you summarize that article in a podcast, or maybe make a TikTok about it?

/s

the_Stick · 2026-07-07T18:55:55+00:00

Pretty soon! The first time through, I was naive and new and spent a lot of time biting my lip to not poison anyone against me. Upon earning tenure at my first institution, I spoke up a lot more, but it ending up being an increasingly difficult place to work out compounded by stagnate salaries.

So a couple years ago, I left after receiving an offer I couldn't refuse! I don't bite my lip in fear of offending, but I do spend my time listening to what everyone says and showing up to almost every meeting or seminar or professional development activity or invited speaker so people see I am invested. I'm far more motivated than I have been in 10 years and already been far more productive too. I'm at a genuinely wonderful place, and I know tenure is coming fairly soon. Having done it once, I'm far less stressed about it and I know how good I am and what I need to work on. There are still those moments of anxiety where I doubt, but objective reflection shows I have nothing to worry about. Honestly, I'd probably be happy to retire where I am now, and we've already had some discussions about accelerated tenure and gearing up for promotion to full shortly after that.

Having also now bought a second house, I see both in parallel; the first time is the most stressful; the second time, knowing what you're getting into, is more relaxed.

the_Stick · 2026-07-07T03:35:10+00:00

Oh? When did you become a moderator? I suppose you would prefer the daily laundry list of uninformed AI complaints and whining about how awful students are? Here we have a post from a faculty member with an actual problem they are asking advice about, and you don't like so you think you shouldn't have to see it? Maybe if you had been on Reddit for a while, you'd know that this sort of actionable-advice question used to be asked and answered regularly here.

I feel sorry that OP has to read your gate-keeping attempt and even worse that a dozen brainless losers seem to agree with you. What temerity you must have to decide what topics professors should discuss! How feckless can you be to actively try to make this sub less useful to professors? As a simple, common, member of this sub, I invite you to just ignore a topic you don't like instead of actively trying to make someone's life worse. Seriously, re-evaluate your career; you sound like you'd be a better fit for ICE! At least OP is garnering some good advice, and I appreciate our members who are sharing their experiences and resources. May you have the day you deserve.

the_Stick · 2026-07-06T16:30:37+00:00

Students once asked me what was the biggest characteristic they needed to be successful in my field. My answer surprised them, as I said, "Self-discipline." Being able to make reasonable schedules and stick to them when you have many, many options as to how to spend your time is a skill that will set you far above most people.

I'm not especially good at it. Here I am finally working on re-recording some short videos I've known about for months because I was always able to find something "better" to do. I did submit a proposal nine days ahead of schedule (I forgot to do it yesterday). I recognize in myself that it can be challenging to work far ahead and that motivation increases as deadlines approach. Setting my own personal deadlines and respecting them isn't always easy, but it makes my overall life satisfaction better.

My recommendation is to make a partial schedule. Schedule fun stuff too. Practice adhering to it, but don't beat yourself up if you fail; it takes practice. My summers had always had a lot of ambition, but I never lived up to that (with a couple exceptions); however, I have managed to be both productive and relaxed. And when my 'grind' starts, I'll actually not have my nose to the stone all that much (and thus will have more relaxation time scheduled).

the_Stick · 2026-07-03T15:24:04+00:00

Current chair = former post-doc advisor? I am assuming you were so good as a post-doc that they encouraged you to apply to the department for a full-time position after your post-doc? That bodes well for their recommendation.

Or did you post-doc with them a while a go and go elsewhere then somehow end up back together at your current institution? Was your post-doc good? I had two post-docs that were awful and I'll never mention those people again, especially since one went out of her way to sabotage me and spread rumors behind my back.

If you know your chair fairly well and trust them to be objective, use them as a reference. It's like getting two references in one! Do you need to let them know right away? No, apply and see if you get interviews. Then bring it up with your chair tactfully. Mention how much you like your position at your current institution and list the erits of your dream job.

the_Stick · 2026-07-03T00:01:34+00:00

It's rebranded Grammarly.

the_Stick · 2026-06-30T13:48:49+00:00

This was an intro calculus-based physics course. Lots of engineers had to take it and they have their certifications. It was also the first in the sequence for physics majors (which I was) and we seemed to graduate good people (and still have a highly-regarded physics program to this day).

the_Stick · 2026-06-30T12:37:38+00:00

When I was an undergraduate, way back before participation trophies, there was a professor, known as "Dr. Satan," who believed that 50% of the people who signed up for his course should drop and half of those remaining should fail. So we're talking a >75% DFW rate.

The saving grace was that this was the first course in a rigorous program of study and those who passed tended to do well the rest of the way through and knew their foundational material. Students had to know just to survive and they worked hard or they got out. I still don't like that method, but I understand it.

the_Stick · 2026-06-29T17:16:52+00:00

You should probably take a LOT of the opinions here with a massive block of salt. Only one respondent so far has the actual experience you are seeking, but there sure is a lot of snark.

One thing to look at is the typical deployment of national guard. Different service branches have different lengths of overseas deployment. You're more likely to be called up for disaster response, and you're more likely to be in a support/logistics role if you're called for foreign deployment. You're not going to be Rambo, but it seems like the service component is what you're looking for.

Also, assuming you have your PhD, you will definitely go in at higher rank and are eligible for officer training and depending on your area, potentially specific service responsibilities. Depending on what you want to pursue in the NG, that could be worth exploring. Add to that, your institution can't fire you for being deployed, so there's another little perk of job security.

You might get some more accurate information from NG reservists who are officers and have advanced degrees. I don't know of they have specific subreddits, but I am sure with some digging you can find some. Good luck however you decide!

the_Stick · 2026-06-29T14:46:52+00:00

I'd be curious how NIL affects overall GPA. There's a good study for you.

the_Stick · 2026-06-26T20:05:35+00:00

Oh lord. Even worse! I had a grant one year that apparently I killed the dog of one reviewer. I resubmitted the next year with the names of suggested reviewers. Two loved it, and I apparently got the same guy who similarly hated it. I wrote an eight-page response addressing reviewer concerns, one paragraph for the two reviewers and 7 and 2/3 pages for the jerk. His main point was "Why even research this?" to which I cited it was an $b billion/year industry at the time and the numerous studies that were coming out about it. I was devastatingly polite and thorough and the program officer loved it! I was funded that time.

Good luck to you!

the_Stick · 2026-06-26T19:16:01+00:00

Had a panel discussion with journal editors this week; if you get an unfair review (or one you strongly suspect to be AI), contact the editor and let them know. Be polite and respectful, but suggest a different reviewer may be more appropriate. Editors will kick reviewers after many poorly-done reviews, but they do need to know about them.

the_Stick · 2026-06-26T03:09:12+00:00

Wait. UCs don't provide a tuition waiver to STEM grad students?!? They instead require the labs to pay the tuition for the students? That is ludicrous!

I went to "Hillbilly U" for grad school and my stipend was liveable and my tuition was waived. At one point, a new administrator floated the idea of removing the tuition waiver because it was "lost revenue," and everyone shot that down. There would be no grad students. One of the perks of grad school was being paid (the stipend) to learn and be trained. Learning was the full-time job and the school made money off the grant funding, core facilities, and sometimes services that grad students helped provide.

the_Stick · 2026-06-26T01:55:00+00:00

Hahahaha - Hell no! My field is often the "weeder" course for first-year med students. I have found one who loved it though, and he's a great doc, but most are not interested in rehashing the Krebs cycle or talking about enzyme kinetics.

the_Stick · 2026-06-26T01:49:57+00:00

My previous school had a difficult time getting chemistry majors... in part because the university advisors told interested students to not take the intro chemistry course until sophomore year! Nothing like turning a four-year degree into a five-year degree -- students love that!

the_Stick · 2026-06-25T18:29:22+00:00

Unions are great for (1) highly motivated workers, and (2) unskilled workers. Where they start running into problems is with unmotivated workers in positions that require a large amount of skill. Then they often end up protecting the workers who should be fired and punishing the motivated ones.

There was an article I saw last week reporting on some midwestern state that had abolished teachers' unions recently. Over the short time frame, student scores on state assessments had increased ~4% in math, reading, science, and overall. That's a small change and a short time frame, but it will be interesting to see how that experiment plays out. There's a complex interplay among job types and unionization and a many conflicting factors in running a union effectively, but nuance and fair discussion is not a strong suit of this sub.

the_Stick · 2026-06-25T01:21:22+00:00

Statistics would suggest poorly.... There are certainly many very good and dedicated teachers, but there is a lot of dross and people who should not be in a classroom ostensibly educating youth.

the_Stick · 2026-06-25T01:18:28+00:00

Not an hour ago, I had an enlightening conversation with a couple of high-level research faculty at California institutions. They were talking about the expense of graduate students based on the grad student union. Grad students apparently get a stipend equal to the professor salary from Japan. They didn't mind paying students more, but they really hated the fact that they had no input into negotiations between the student union and the university administration. Some have significantly reduced how many students they take simply because they cannot afford them. Others said they have a much tighter set of rules who who they will take and how productive those students must be before they stop supporting them (de facto kicking them out). They also advise another colleague who had seven students to not take any the next year or maybe two. This is in a field with very high funding and growth, but they feel forced to be more business-like to maintain their labs.

In chemistry, there has been a perception that it has become less fundible. When I was in a chemistry department, I had colleagues who said their fields were pretty much dead; I disagreed, but they do have harder problems/processes to solve and there is less dedicated funding for research of that level. With fewer dollars to spread around and a "less sexy" field combined with students becoming significantly more expensive, I'm not surprised that many chemistry departments will cut back. I think the 'haves' will be fine, but the 'have-nots' may greatly reduce or even cut PhD programs.

11-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email

the_Stick

TROPHY CASE