tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post4372294926283337323..comments2024-03-20T13:10:11.477+05:30Comments on nanopolitan: Research Focus Areas - 1: To Have or NotAbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06790560045313883673noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-42537246614835150142013-11-23T20:32:24.921+05:302013-11-23T20:32:24.921+05:30I believe that a department, in its view must be o...I believe that a department, in its view must be open and democratic. In my viewpoint, focus areas develop over the years from collaboration amongst faculty, and the institute/department projects this as its strength or focus area. I don't think the department develops or spells out the focus areas and encourage faculty to work in that. <br /><br />Over the years, several faculty in the department may naturally come together to start a group and claim that the group has a common research focus since the selected individuals (and their groups) in some way or the other, work on a specific domain. Now, the department could project this group's research domain as a focus area that the department has developed. Several such collaborative efforts give us the various focus areas. <br /><br /> It does not appeal if the department has to lay down the focus areas because it cannot be done mutually exclusively of the expertise or interest areas of the faculty in the particular department. Even though a faculty will claim to have expertise in one specific area, we should understand that this expertise and interest can all evolve over time and this should be allowed so that the ideas mature to something that is related to the ideas of another colleague in the department or the university. As I understand, this can take some time. Instead of coming up with a list of focus areas, the department must instead foster collaboration among faculty belonging to seemingly non-related groups. Only such collaborations and healthy interactions, can result in strong, sustainable focus areas. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03544849496034831896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-90705756852798187202013-11-21T12:07:15.057+05:302013-11-21T12:07:15.057+05:30I think any department develops strengths in certa...I think any department develops strengths in certain areas over the years and this needs to be nurtured. Of course faculty freedom to pursue research of their choice should not be tinkered with. We do not want a "corporatization" of the University system where only certain topics are pursued to the exclusion of others as is done in US. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682801281912450193noreply@blogger.com