Public Understanding of Science

Hi guys,

Please be sure check out my new article on environmental attitudes published in Public Understanding of Science. Thanks.

Cross-section analyses of attitudes towards science and nature from the International Social Survey Programme 1993, 2000, and 2010 surveys, doi: 10.1177/0963662513503261 

Abstract

This paper explores public attitudes towards science and nature in twelve countries using data from the International Social Survey Programme environment modules of 1993, 2000, and 2010. Analysis of attitude items indicates technocentric and pessimistic dimensions broadly related to the Dominant Social Paradigm and New Environmental Paradigm. A bi-axial dimension scale is utilized to classify respondents among four environmental knowledge orientations. Discernible and significant patterns are found among countries and their populations. Relationships with other substantial variables in the surveys are discussed and findings show that the majority of industrialized countries are clustered in the rational ecologist categorization with respondents possessing stronger ecological consciousness and optimism towards the role of modern institutions, science, and technology in solving environmental problems.
 

No more ginger! a.k.a. my Tori-Kamameshi recipe

Tori Kamameshi - Quick 'n' Easy

Ingredients:

Rice-
4 cups rice (Japanese Long Grain Sticky or Jasponica)
3 cups water (or 3.5 cups, depending on the rice)

100 ml. Japanese (Kikkoman) Soy Sauce
2 tsp Mirin, 2 tsp Teriyaki Sauce
1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Salt or AjiSho

Meat and Toppings-
500 g chicken breasts diced
1/2 cup Shiitake mushrooms sliced (you can also add Maitake)
1 large carrot cut into thin strings (think twice of Piknik size)
1/2 cup asparagus cut into small stems
2-3 bulbs onion
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp onion leeks small slices (Negi)

Instructions:

1) Wash rice thrice with cold water, pick out husks etc. to ensure rice is clean

2) Mix in all the ingredients together, but make sure to put the toppings last 

3) Cook in rice cooker, or use medium-low heat with a THICK pot(to avoid too much burned rice due to hotspots) for 20-30 minutes. Mix the pot after the rice cooks to ensure flavor is distributed evenly.

ENJOY :-)  Itadakimasu!

How to "Cacciatore"

I have been trying to "level-up" my culinary skills lately and came up with a Euro-Asian dish.
So far, most of my guests (read: guinea pigs) have enjoyed it :-)

Hence it is with great satisfaction that I present my recipe that I have named...

CATCH-A-TORI ORIENT EXPRESS (Serves 4-6)

The whole dish takes about 30-50 minutes to prepare, depending on the setup of your kitchen and equipment.
I do however recommend cooking with gas or radiant burners in order to have a relatively uniform distribution of heat for your pots and pans.

Now let us begin...

---First we start with the chicken---
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
100 ml water
1 teaspoon salt
1/6 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 crispy bread crumbs  OR tempura breading mix
4-6 pieces chicken breast (filet optional)
3 cups corn oil (or sunflower oil if not available)

Beat egg, mix in flour, salt, pepper, and water to create smooth batter. Dip chicken into batter, and then cover with breading mix. Deep fry chicken for 5-7 minutes in order to create a very crispy exterior and tender-juicy
interior. Strain excess oil and place over napkin or newspaper to drain residual oil.

---Now for the sauce and base.---
1 can (approx 400g) chunky tomatoes
1 cup white wine (dry)
300 g Shiitake mushrooms
100 g champignon mushrooms (button)
40 g black olives (pitted)
100 g yellow bell peppers (big slices-1" length at least)
100 g green bell pepper(big slices)
100 g Zucchini (small slices)
1 medium bulb onion (ring slices)

Put everything except wine in a pot, bring to boil, then transfer to a slow cooker(or rice cooker) and let simmer

for 30 minutes.

---Finally for the rice,---
1 pack(200 g) mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots)
2 teaspoons Kikkoman soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin or white vinegar
1 stick of onion leek(10 g)
2 cups of long-grain parboiled rice, or 1 1/2 cup Japanese rice
2 cups of water

Put everything into a pot. Let rice cook. Prepare table...call your friends...drink all the remaining wine

in the bottle by yourself before they arrive. Remove apron, chef's hat, and sweaty shirt...change into something fresh.

---Time to eat---
Place rice and chicken in a dish or large Japanese bowl then top with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese. Place in a pre-heated oven for 5 minutes if you want it to have a crunchy layer on top.
ENJOY.


Final note about the name: "Catch a tori" is a play on words from the Italian dish "cacciatore" and the Japanese word for bird/chicken "Tori".
Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish, also referred to as hunter’s stew. Early recipes may have been made with rabbit or chicken, and each recipe was adapted for those who might be traveling or hunting for several days and would require an easy to prepare recipe for outside cooking.
Orient Express is meant not only to hint an Euro-Asian fusion cuisine but
also to serve as irony on how long actually it takes to complete the dish, similar to the time it takes that one would experience riding the real orient express.

Compliments to my assistant chef: Mr. Teething Putty

-Joseph

PhD Scholarships in Germany

PhD Scholarships in Interdisciplinary Research, Ruhr-University Research School, Germany

Ruhr-University Research School – Germany´s Excellence Initiative
12 PhD Grants

10 PhD Grants from Ruhr-University Bochum
1 PhD Grant from Alfied Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
1 PhD Grant from Schäfersnolte-Gedächtnis –Stiftung in the field of cancer research

The Research School promotes top-level postgraduate education throughout Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany, offering unique interdisciplinary research opportunities in Germany.

We provide wide prospects for an individual research project in an attractive and international research environment.

Grants include:
-1.000 € per month (max. 36 months)
-in addition support for consumables and travel
-special support service for foreign students
-state-of-the-art research facilities
-structured scientific programme
-transdisciplinary Science College
-training of transferable skills
-supervision
-and mentoring arrangements
-career guidance

Deadline for application October 31, 2009

Details on admission procedure can be obtained at:
http://www.research-school.rub.de/application

KATSE 2010 call for papers

I guess its a hectic time for the academic community...my inbox is bursting with calls for papers and scholarships. Here's a gem...enjoy

For those who can read Finnish and are interested in IR developments, Tapio sent the following...

Call for Papers
Kansainvälisten suhteiden tutkimuksen seuran kolmanteen
kansalliseen konferenssiin 15.-16.1.2010

Kansainvälisten suhteiden seura (KATSE) pyytää kolmivuosittaiseen
tieteelliseen konferenssiinsa ehdotuksia papereiksi, jotka käsittelevät
kansainvälisten suhteiden tutkimuksen eri osa-alueita niin empiirisestä kuin
teoreettisestakin näkökulmasta. Konferenssin tavoitteena on antaa
mahdollisimman kattava, ajantasainen ja monitieteinen kuva suomalaisesta
kansainvälisten suhteiden tutkimuksesta sekä kerätä yhteen niin tutkijoita
kuin kansainvälisten suhteiden parissa työskenteleviä tai niitä muuten
harrastavia.

Konferenssi järjestetään yhteistyössä puolustus- ja ulkoasiainministeriöiden
sekä Ulkopoliittisen instituutin, Ulkopolitiikan tutkimuksen säätiön sekä
Helsingin yliopiston Eurooppatutkimuksen verkoston kanssa. Konferenssi
pidetään Siuntion Hyvinvointikeskuksessa 15.-16.1.2010:
http://www.siuntionhyvinvointikeskus.fi/

Paperiehdotusten deadline on 30.10. Lisätietoja sekä ohjeet paperiehdotuksen
lähettämiseksi löytyvät osoitteesta http://www.protsv.fi/katse/ajank.htm

Lisätietoja:

Hiski Haukkala
Puheenjohtaja
hiski.haukkala@formin.fi

Mikko Tyrväinen
Sihteeri
Mikko.Tyrvainen@helsinki.fi

PhD Fellowships in HK

My buddy Pei Jan forwarded me this recently... Hong Kong is really nice this time of the year he says, gotta visit him sometime when I'm not too busy.

PhD Fellowship in Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme - Knowledge Management - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Description:

Established in 2009 by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD programs in Hong Kong’s institutions.

Eligibility

Those who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in UGC-funded institutions of Hong Kong, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

The Fellowship

The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,0001 and a conference travel allowance of HK$10,0001 per year for the awardees for a maximum period of three years. 135 PhD Fellowships will be awarded for the 2010/11 academic year2.

1US$1 = HK$7.8 (rate for reference only)

2Academic year in Hong Kong normally starts in September.

Review Panels

Applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by two Selection Panels with experts in the broad areas, one for science, medicine, engineering and technology and another one for humanities, social science and business studies.

Selection Criteria

While the academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Review Panels will take into account, but is not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates:

1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication, and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.

Application Process

The Scheme will call for application in early September 2009.

Each applicant may choose up to two programs in one or two institutions for PhD study when applying for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. Application should be made through the Online Application System (OAS) which will be available in early September 2009. The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship application is also regarded as a formal application for admission to the PhD program(s) offered by the institution(s) concerned. Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected institutions and programs except the application deadline, which should strictly follow the stipulated deadline for the Fellowship scheme. Admission requirements of individual institutions are as follows:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

(http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ro/hkphd-fellowship/)

In parallel to the Fellowship application, each application will be processed by the relevant institution(s) as a normal application for PhD admission. Individual institutions may conduct interview with applicants where necessary. Institutions may also admit candidates not selected for the Fellowship Scheme and offer them with postgraduate studentship of the institutions if they are considered to be qualified.

Postgraduate Studies in Hong Kong

For more information on postgraduate studies in Hong Kong, please visit the Joint Institutions homepage at http://www.grad.edu.hk/grad/.

Enquiries

For enquiries about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, please address your questions to HKPF@ugc.edu.hk.

For enquiries about the PhD programmes and admission requirements, please contact the respective institutions directly. The contacts of each institution are as follows:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Research Office,
Room M501, Li Ka Shing Tower,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Telephone number: (852) 3400 3635
Fax number: (852) 2355 7651
Email: roro@polyu.edu.hk

Interested candidates please contact Dr. Patrick S.W. Fong bspafong@polyu.edu.hk, Department of Building & Real Estate of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for discussions on possible topics/proposals in Knowledge Management.

Vienna - Oh MittelEuropa

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things




When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Test Project

Your ontology is on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Based on your epistemology, fitting through the small hole will violate Newtonian Physics... though Quantum Mechanics states that you are already on the other side.

Travelling Around Europe Redux

Just finished touring Berlin. In Prague right now. Will go to Barcelona and Madrid next, next week. Then to Portugal. Hope to finish all my grad studies related stuff before doing the Peacestudies online phase. Woot.


My muscles are vanishing...replaced by a donut around my waste due to the delicious gastronomical treats and cheap beers of Prague.

It's worth it :-D