as next LLNL Director:
Well, well, they finally got something right. Goldstein won't be all things to all people but he's very smart, very honest and respected by those left at LLNL whose respect is worth something. Say goodbye to patronage and hello to a bone fide effort to conduct science and technology development in the national interest.
Well, well, they finally got something right. Goldstein won't be all things to all people but he's very smart, very honest and respected by those left at LLNL whose respect is worth something. Say goodbye to patronage and hello to a bone fide effort to conduct science and technology development in the national interest.
Comments
March 30, 2014 at 11:12 PM
Maybe, but after the hiring process, the story is usually different. After 3 or 4 years, how many PhDs are working in the same subject area as their thesis (where their "specific expertise" lies)? I'd argue that any competent MS can learn a new field, just as most PhDs must do.
March 31, 2014 at 12:58 PM
If you are working at LANL or LLNL and are trying to get funding from "external agencies" then you had better get with the NNSA program or get out. WFO is over at LANL and LLNL; the LLCs will no longer tolerate having to provide infrastructure and support for scientists they could otherwise get rid of, and whose funding isn't significant or long-term.
As for "no credibility whatsoever in bringing in money even internally," that is simply a matter of the capabilities and experience of your organization. Any organization with those attributes sells itself.
"
Screw you, maybe and I do mean maybe the labs could have needed Phds in say...1945 but now? We would be alot better off with people with lesser degrees who will do what management wants in 2014. Cheaper, better, less complaints, more loyalty, less tude , and more gratefulness for having a job. There is nothing at the NNSA labs that cannot be done better and cheaper elsewhere. Think about that the next time you complain to your manager. Be lucky you have a job, becuase there are 10000 more people that could take your place for 1/10 your cost, and 1/1000 your tude. LLNL should be paid 0.5 -1.0 Billion and they would clean up the place.
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Screw you, maybe and I do mean maybe the labs could have needed Phds in say...1945 but now? We would be alot better off with people with lesser degrees who will do what management wants in 2014. Cheaper, better, less complaints, more loyalty, less tude , and more gratefulness for having a job. There is nothing at the NNSA labs that cannot be done better and cheaper elsewhere. Think about that the next time you complain to your manager. Be lucky you have a job, becuase there are 10000 more people that could take your place for 1/10 your cost, and 1/1000 your tude. LLNL should be paid 0.5 -1.0 Billion and they would clean up the place.
Adam Rowen a manager at Sandia Livermore does not have a Ph.D. either.
The previous 3 individuals are the first ever Vice Presidents without a Ph.D. in Science or Engineering to lead technical divisions at Sandia. A quick search on the internet shows that Adam Rowen went to a school in New Mexico.
Steve Renfro deputy AD Nuclear Weapons, BS without PhD (also comes from a New Mexico school)
You keep posting this stuff, but never say why you think it is important, or why anyone should care. Stop wasting our time.
April 4, 2014 at 12:00 AM
The entire Weapons Engineering train at Los Alamos has no PhDs. John Benner (ADW) has M.S., James Owen (W Division Leader) has a B.S. from NMSU and spent 2-years at University of Colorado on the Labs M.S. program only to come home without the degree. Does Craig Leasure (Acting PADWP) have a degree? This whole crew is "worthless"!
April 4, 2014 at 7:09 PM
More worthless crap about PhD vs no PhD. The letters after your name don't mean anything if you are a lousy manager. If you are a good manager, they are irrelevant. In the 30+ years I was at LANL, no one every called anyone with a PhD "Doctor" or any other title. People didn't know or care what degree you had or from where, just whether you were good at your job. This "penis envy" of PhD hunting is foolish, juvenile, and destructive. Crappy scientists with PhDs resenting non-PhD managers is as old as the hills, and not very bright. You should be embarrassed to be such a cliche.
I beg to differ. My mother calls me Doctor ! And you should too !
A Ph.D from Stanford in Physics takes extraordinary smarts and dedication to world class work.
However, in an arena where novel, cutting edge research from different fields are in competition for limited funding, and "new" is sought, a PhD is necessary but not sufficient to lead a multi-facited institution engaged in scientific and technical growth. The lab's purpose is to make leaps in science and technical capabilities, which is coupled to risk. It is here that you would require PhD's critically analyze. Small, conservative steps, those aligned with industry and low risk, can be managed by non PhDs.
The gold standard is Bell Labs. Although highly misunderstood by most, the formula entailed PhD managers/leaders who were active in the field, along with the largest company working on the larges industrial problems at the time.
Unfortunately, the National Labs are on a path to user facilities, with residual R&D. As this seems acceptable to the public, then by all means let the labs emphasize management over leadership and scientific stewardship.
April 6, 2014 at 4:14 PM
"Vetting process"? Initiation rites? Oh, the secret society? What a crock. A PhD is simply a sign that someone persisted to get something of dubious value in today's world, except among the cognoscenti. Hah!
Persistence pursuing a difficult, individual accomplishment is something viewed as not that impressive it seems.
Keep in mind that a Masters is just completing more coursework with no individual requirements to stand out or independently think, but just be part of the crowd.
Also, most programs only accept those on the PhD path, so the talented individuals who leave early with a masters are start-up or VC worthy. Don't know what to say about those Masters who end up a national lab... from these comments we're supposed to believe their accomplishments are "significantly equivalent"?, a term I'm sure we're all familiar?
April 7, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Maybe so, but the "stand out or independently think" part is in a very limited subject area. Maybe that model persists in a university environment, but it isn't going to lead to success in a large, multidisciplinary research environment like a national lab.
April 7, 2014 at 2:10 PM
Oh my god, words utterly fail me here. Sad truth is, right now, you are probably correct.
The best science is done by the best scientists. Do LLNL or LANL have the best scientists anymore? If not than why not? If they are wotth funding than they are worth funding if they have the best scientists.
April 8, 2014 at 3:02 PM
But it's most of it!
Just ask "follow the money" Charlie.
However, some here believe that nurses should set treatment care protocol.
April 9, 2014 at 10:47 AM
Didn't see any of those here. Just some people arguing the relative worth of a MS degree vs a PhD, specifically at LLNL and LANL, and whether it matters for a manager. No anti-education, no "hate." Is it possible you are intentionally exaggerating the situation to fit your own agenda? Or are you just a really angry person?
Three Vice Presidents of technical divisions at Sandia National Laboratories do not have a Ph.D.: Hruby, Walker, Vahle.
Adam Rowen a manager at Sandia Livermore does not have a Ph.D. either.
The previous 3 individuals are the first ever Vice Presidents without a Ph.D. in Science or Engineering to lead technical divisions at Sandia. A quick search on the internet shows that Adam Rowen went to a school in New Mexico.
Why do you keep posting this crap? Who do you think gives a shit? Like it is some blasphemy for a manager not to have a PhD. Besides, SNL is irrelevant to US national security. It's just an engineering job shop. Who cares if their managers have any degrees at all?
April 11, 2014 at 7:08 AM
Judging by your post, they apparently have a very high opinion of themselves. In addition to being thin-skinned, so much so that you had to pretend that folks posting on this thread were denigrating PhDs, as opposed to merely arguing that they usually aren't necessary at the national labs.
PhDs are the labs leaders in generating new R&D ideas. If no new ideas in R&D then the lab is an engineering job shop. If the lab is a job shop, then there soon there will be no unique capabilities. If no new unique capabilities, then fear the new NNSA Lt. General.
mirroring your sentiment.
Adam Rowen a manager at Sandia Livermore does not have a Ph.D. either.
The previous 3 individuals are the first ever Vice Presidents without a Ph.D. in Science or Engineering to lead technical divisions at Sandia. A quick search on the internet shows that Adam Rowen went to a school in New Mexico.
April 10, 2014 at 2:01 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
April 10, 2014 at 2:01 AM
...Besides, SNL is irrelevant to US national security. It's just an engineering job shop.