<6ndqgs$ctg$1 at Venus.mcs.net> <6nim7d$mkj$1 at knot.queensu.ca>:
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
My own experience matches Chris's rather than Deirdre's. I clearly
remember a case of a new junior faculty member being extremely
confrontational to seminar speakers when he asked questions. His behavior
was commented on by many in the hallways after the talks. He did this to
numerous speakers. After a couple of years he learned not to do this and
last I heard of him was displaying very appropriate behavior. He was a
smart guy and got the picture after a while and went on to get tenure.
There are so many unspoken "rules" like this in science and it is not
always the case that all scientists pick up on them and so may suffer
accordingly in their career advancement. The "rules" can also differ
depending on the institution or department.
Megan
C. Boake (cboake at utk.edu) wrote:
: In article <6not7n$ebc$1 at Mars.mcs.net>, finch at MCS.COM (Deirdre
: Sholto-Douglas) wrote:
: > It doesn't matter *what* the audience thinks about the questioner,
: > what matters is what they preceive about the *questionee*. Was
: > the individual able to field the question, defuse the situation and
: > respond adroitly on a hostile playing field or did they fall to
: > pieces because no one's ever been critical of them before, let alone
: > in front of others in a public forum?
: My own experience and opinion on this differs considerably from Dierdre's.
: First, there are several scientists in my field who are respected because
: they ask worthwhile, insightful, and nonconfrontational questions at
: meetings. Getting a reputation for asking good questions can be very
: helpful to one's career.
: Second, I recall a student who was giving her first public presentation
: ever, for a lunch group, which is not ordinarily a big deal. She was very
: nervous. A postdoc badgered her to the point that she fainted. Now 15
: years later I do not recall the identity of the questionee, however I
: definitely know who the questioner was, and the incident is still part of
: my assessment of that individual's personality. n = 1, but a powerful
: memory.
: cheers,
: Chris
--
Megan Brown
mbrown at fred.fhcrc.org
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, Washington
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