Author: jlolds

Native Angeleno, professor of Neuroscience and Public Policy at George Mason University

Christopher Hitchens RIP

A really top notch writer and debater has passed. His Financial Times obit is here. Christopher Buckley’s New Yorker obit is here. Over the years, I always admired his ability to use reasoned argument as a means to advance his views–as opposed to tired emotional screeds that are all too common, especially in the blogosphere. So we’ll miss his voice.

Angel Cabrera

George Mason’s Board of Visitors announced the appointment of Dr. Angel Cabrera to be Mason’s next President in the last hour. The photo is from the press conference that just ended a few minutes ago.

He brings both incredible dynamism and experience to Mason most recently as President of the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Born in Spain, he trained in Madrid as an engineer and then went on to Georgia Tech to get his doctorate.

Here is a recent You Tube video in which his passion for education is abundantly clear:

Mason will clearly continue its tradition of innovation under dynamic leadership. Dr. Cabrera will take office on July 1 of next year.

Doctoral trainees soft-skills: the transatlantic perspective

Yesterday there was a terrific conference put on by the Polish Presidency of the European Union at the headquarters of the American Association for Advancement of Science here in Washington.

I had the honor of speaking about a real concern of mine: namely the doctoral students are only trained in the soft-skills (e.g. grantsmanship) of the place where they are receiving their training. So, for example, a doctoral student in neuroscience being trained here in the US, typically doesn’t learn anything about the European Research Council’s “starter grants”–even if that student is European and actually planning to return to Europe post-PhD.
The reverse is also true. What I am advocating for is a plan to create a transatlantic soft-skills curriculum, whereby all doctoral trainees learn something about each system: Europe and the US.

And of course, this could be expanded usefully elsewhere around the world.

Cutting off the patient to save the limb?

The UK will go its own way from the rest of Europe. The Financial Times story is here. Of course, the UK has always been outside the Eurozone, but today’s news feels qualitatively different. The word of course is that David Cameron did this to please his Tory friends in London’s City financial district. Whatever the reason, it strikes me as not particularly good news for those of us hoping for something that will stabilize the markets.

Reuter’s story is here. Money quote:

Cameron’s decision to stay out of the treaty-change camp could spell problems for Britain. Deeper integration on the continent could involve changes to the single market and financial regulation, both of which could have a profound impact on the British economy.
“Cameron was clumsy in his manoeuvring,” a senior EU diplomat said. It may be possible that Britain will shift its position in the days ahead if it discovers that isolation really is not a viable course of action, diplomats said.

Architecture in Washington DC

Heard yesterday at the Embassy of Finland during the Finnish national holiday festivities:

The embassies have the only interesting architecture in Washington

An interesting comment that I’ll need to think about. Personally, I find the monuments on the Mall quite strikingly beautiful in the right light (for example early morning), although I’m not sure if I would call them interesting.

However, without question, the Finnish Embassy is one of the most interesting and beautiful buildings in Washington–just opposite the Vice President’s mansion on Massachusetts Avenue. According to the Ambassador, it’s also green–although I’m not sure if she was referring to its sustainability or the patina of its copper exterior. Perhaps both.