DANJ@jhuhyg.bitnet (DAN) (10/22/90)
----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hi, My adviser recently questioned the value of my being invoved in such things as the BIONET. Somewhat stunned I stammered something about the value of being in contact with hundreds (thousands?) of other bio-scientists and the help theref ore available. Since then I've thought of a few better arguments but his initi al reaction was to say the least - unimpressed. This brings me to my question to all my fellow netters out there - What do we say to those who are unitiated in the world of electronic communication and lack the grand vision (ie BIO-MATR IX type stuff) that many netters seem to have? How do we impress upon those ho stile elements of bio-society that computer nets have value and that the time s pent learning how to use them is indeed time well spent? I'm sure there are others out there who have had experiences similar to mine. I'm pretty new to this whole business so I have much to learn about BIONET, BIT NET etc..., however if this becomes a confrontational issue with my adviser I will have to withdraw somewhat from my use of the networks. What I suppose is most disturbing about this is that my adviser is quite young so that he has th e capability to discourage many, many students from net use. TO all students and faculty members who have had or know of similar incidents or are concerned net-users - PLEASE comment - maybe with an eclectic collection of arguments I may be able to convince said adviser to support my use of the net. I am sending this out to a number of bboards and realize that I may be stepping across traditional boundaries in doing so, however I will gladly accept the sh ift of this discussion to the appropriate board (as may be advised by the *powe rs* that be...David?). I also realize that this may be an old fight for many o f you however if graduate students are being quashed by new faculty the future of the net is not a bright one. Hoping for advice. Sincerely, Dan Jacobson Johns Hopkins University DANJ@JHUHYG Disclaimer: I have no financial interests in anything associated with the netw orks, or more appropriately (being a student) I have no finances.
OLIVER@calstate.bitnet (OLIVER SEELY) (10/22/90)
Dear Dan, It's a problem that finally must be dealt with at an individual level. If your advisor doesn't like you doing this, you may simply have to give it up until you get your degree. After you get your degree and tenure at some secure institution then you can show anyone who doesn't like what you're doing an upraised digit (not the thumb). I highly recommend doing this from time to time. There is however another possible solution. Why not poke around Hopkins until you find someone (or better yet, two or three) faculty who are OLDER than your advisor. Introduce them to BITNET and BIONET on the QT. Even better, have them ask your advisor if you can help them to logon the computer, etc. Sooner or later you'll find one (or two or three) who gets hooked and your advisor will have to see what all the fuss is about. It's worth a try. Oliver. P.S. Last summer I had a temporary job at UCSD. I found a professor emeritus in the Chem Department who wanted to be able to access Current Contents from his home. I helped him to set up his modem, etc., and he has become an evangelist for high-tech. Runs all over the place talking up high-tech telecommunications. You know what he's using for a modem? A 300 baud acoustical coupler! You're probably too young even to know what that is! Good luck. O.S.t