Thursday, April 19, 2012

Grassroots initiatives in the academy

There are two initiatives I'd like to draw attention to today. The first is Scientific Malaysian, an independent attempt to connect Malaysians interested in science and to raise the profile of the Malaysian scientific community. It's an interesting initiative, so definitely check it out.

The other is a survey by a Malaysian undergraduate studying at the University of Michigan in the US. Jian Wei is trying to understand whether there is a relation between emotional attachment to one's country and one's desire to participate in its national affairs. Finding good data is a challenge for social scientists everywhere, so if you can give Jian Wei your dua sen, I'm sure he'd appreciate it.