Dirt Dirt –

The speed of the train slowed down,

Boston Station is just a stone's throw away.

O. Henry and Lu Shi discussed the writing of the short story and had a good conversation, and when they heard the whistle, they showed a regretful expression.

He said helplessly: "I have to go to Washington, otherwise, I will definitely accompany you here." ”

Lu Shi was a little curious,

"Didn't you settle in New York? What to do in Washington? ”

O. Henry was slightly embarrassed and said in a low voice: "At that time, I was sentenced to five years, but I was released from prison early. So, every once in a while, I have to report to Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C., and let those bastards know I'm still on the road. ”

If it weren't for that period of fugitive black history, he wouldn't have had to face such a harsh scrutiny.

Lu Shi and Goodman couldn't help laughing,

Neither of them picked up.

O. Henry hurriedly said, "Professor Lu, after I finish the business in Washington, I will go to you and ask you about creation." ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"That's good. We'll see you at Harvard. ”

He and Goodman got off the bus and took a transfer to Cambridge.

Just like the last time I came,

The scenery of Cambridge is different from that of large cities such as New York and Boston, which were affected by industrialization, and there are no towering chimneys and billowing smoke.

The air is fresh, and the occasional birdsong is heard,

The sky is also bright.

The two walked out of the train station, the sun shining overhead, and the heat was so hot that people scratched all over.

Not far away, someone noticed them and walked briskly,

"Professor Lu?"

Lu Shi followed the prestige.

The person who came was a tall, thin middle-aged man,

His hair was thick and curly, and his mustache resembled that of old Roosevelt.

He walked up,

"You're Professor Lu, right?"

He speaks English with a slight accent and seems to be Eastern European.

Lu Shi looked at each other,

"You're Mr. Tesla?"

Nikola tesla

Serb-American inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer.

The unit of magnetic density was named after his surname, indicating his contribution to electromagnetism.

Tesla was surprised,

"You know me?"

Lu Shi said with a smile: "At last year's Nobel Prize ceremony, I heard a lot of anecdotes about you and Mr. Edison. ”

Tesla was extremely depressed,

"I must be notorious, right?"

Although he was not the earliest inventor of the alternating current generator, his improvement of alternating current was as great a contribution as Watt's improvement of the steam engine.

The advent of brushless AC induction motors frightened Edison, the inventor of direct current.

As a result, Edison bribed officials in some states to change the local death penalty from hanging to alternating current, and hired elementary school students to catch cats and dogs to use Tesla's alternating current for experiments, and electrocuted cats and dogs to show the harm of alternating current.

Tesla was criticized for this.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"'The battle of currents', haven't you already won? Mr. Röntgen is full of praise for you. ”

Tesla suddenly.

Last year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Roentgenium, who studied X-rays.

And Tesla, in its early research, developed many experiments to produce X-rays,

His instrument produces X-rays with much more energy than ordinary instruments.

It's no wonder that Röntgen is on his side.

Tesla whispered: "I thought Professor Lu misunderstood me......"

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"How could that be?"

He changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Tesla, why are you looking for me this time?" ”

Tesla took out a pamphlet from his body and replied with a smile: "I'll do it for AAAS...... Ah, it's the American Association for the Advancement of Science. ”

Lu Shi was a little surprised,

"ARE YOU EMPLOYED BY AAAS?"

Tesla shook his head,

"It's not an employment relationship. However, I recently received funding from the Morgan consortium to build the Wordencliff Tower on Long Island, a 187-foot-tall tower topped by a hemispherical ...... with a diameter of 68 feet."

What follows is a tirade,

To sum up, Morgan saw the commercial value of the project and wanted to use the project to achieve wireless communication.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"Tell the point."

"Ah......h

Tesla showed an apologetic expression and continued: "This kind of large-scale project requires land acquisition and manpower, and only money will definitely not be able to do it, so it needs the endorsement of relevant associations." Professor Lu is in Europe, and he definitely knows more about academics than I do. ”

Lu Shi understood,

"So, the review of the project was approved by AAAS?"

Tesla sighed: "Actually, I didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing, I just wanted to do experiments." But since I'm in AAAS, I have to do it. ”

Lu Shi can understand why the other party is disgusted with academic socialization,

The other party was suppressed by Edison, who was good at business operations, and it was inevitable that he would feel that this kind of transaction was dirty.

What's more, during Tesla's "part-time job" for Edison, Edison promised a salary of $50,000, but later refused to pay, causing Tesla to resign in anger.

With so many pickled experiences, it's no wonder that he just wants to do experiments with his head bored.

Lu Shi was curious,

"You said you were doing projects on Long Island. Isn't Long Island in New York? You can block me in New York! Why wait until Cambridge? ”

Tesla:!!!

"How did I forget this?"

Lu Shi: "......"

I feel that the other party's eyes are a little clear and stupid,

He waved his hand,

"Forget it, let's get into the carriage first."

On the other side, Goodman immediately waved to hail a taxi.

The three of them sat in the carriage.

The weather is very hot,

The cramped carriage resembles a steamer, and with the bumpy road surface and the smell of horses, people have to hang up the curtains completely.

The sunlight pierced in, shaking people's eyes painfully.

Lu Shi squinted at the scenery outside, and then turned to Tesla,

"Mr. Tesla, what did AAAS say? Do they support the inclusion of an impact factor in Science? ”

Tesla sighed,

"Professor Lu, you are so smart. I haven't said anything, so you can guess what I'm here for. ”

Lu Shixiao,

"As we all know, the publisher of Science is AAAS."

Tesla asked, "Professor Lu, how is this impact factor calculated?" ”

Actually, Lu Shi had already told Jack London before,

But for people who haven't been to college or been exposed to top journals, that kind of thing is still a bit difficult to understand.

Besides, Jack London was still a liberal arts student, and he didn't understand that, and the telegram sent back to the United States was naturally vague.

Lu Shidao: "To put it simply, the higher the impact factor, the greater the academic influence. ”

Tesla raised an eyebrow,

"Influence."

Lu Shi smiled: "Do you think of Mr. Edison?" Indeed, high influence does not mean high quality. ”

He took out a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his clothes,

Unexpectedly, the paper was already soaked with sweat, and I couldn't see the lead text on it clearly.

Goodman hurriedly opened his luggage and rummaged through his notebook,

"Sir Lu, write by hand."

Lu Shi took the pen and paper,

"Let's say we're going to calculate the Impact Factor of Science 1900."

He wrote down the formula on paper:

——

IF (1900) = A/B

thereinto

A = the number of citations of all articles in the journal between 1898 and 1899 in 1900;

B = number of all articles in the journal from 1898 to 1899.

——

Glance.

Tesla looked at Lu curiously,

"You're not your average writer."

He has seen too many people babbling on their points and not understanding them for a long time.

It's like being a hydrological author.

And the land time is completely different,

Obviously not from science or engineering, but he is good at using mathematical language, and a formula can explain things clearly.

Lu Shi understood why the other party had that kind of emotion, and quipped: "Then you should take a look at "Guns, Germs and Steel", which is an interdisciplinary monograph and uses a lot of formulas. ”

Tesla said, "If you have the chance, you must read it!" ”

He looked at the formula again,

After a long time, he said: "Professor Lu, I think there are drawbacks in the impact factor, and its value has a lot to do with the field involved in the journal. ”

Lu Shi said: "You can talk about it." ”

Tesla found that Lu Shi's attitude was very relaxed, so he smiled and said, "It seems that Professor Lu has thought of it a long time ago." ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"I'd like to hear the views of the scholars of the natural sciences."

Tesla thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give you an example." Professor Lu, you are a media tycoon, you must have heard of the Financial Times, right? ”

Lu Shi said: "Of course. It was the most professional newspaper in the world, and there were almost no of them. ”

Tesla said: "The Mirror, on the other hand, is a tabloid newspaper for the Riba people. How do the sales of the two compare? ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"I see what you mean."

In the field of natural sciences, there is also its own Financial Times and Mirror,

The former, for example,

Physics, Basic Mathematics......

The research field is difficult and obscure, and it is inevitable that the number of scientific researchers engaged in it will be very small, and the impact factor will inevitably not be high;

The latter, for example,

Biology, Materials......

The field is relatively shallow, the experiment is repeated, and graduate students are generally professors' cattle and horses, and the more cattle and horses, the better, so the impact factor is easy to be high.

Some periodicals, even read as "magazines", write "impurities".

(PS: I know that there are a lot of students who make ring materials, don't beat me, old buddy)

Tesla shrugged,

"Professor Lu, you just mentioned "Guns, Germs and Steel", it should not sell far less than "Chaowen Dao", right?"

Lu Shi said: "It's not a category, it's meaningless." ”

Tesla repeated: "Yes, that's what it means, 'it's not a category, it's meaningless'." However, Science and Nature, both of which are comprehensive journals, are not well oriented if they abandon theory and specialize in applied disciplines in order to improve their impact factor. ”

He seemed to be caught up in a memory,

"I was studying at Graz University of Technology. At that time, journals never counted citations, but I estimate that the impact factor curve of journals in our field is like the Andes, with ups and downs. ”

This is actually a statement that beautifies oneself,

Tesla did not graduate from Graz University of Technology.

Of course, Lu Shi will not debunk it, and continued:

"Why do you say that?"

Tesla replied: "Because the research of natural sciences is also trendy. After nearly 30 years of research, Joseph Swan made a vacuum bulb that emits light with carbon filament, which has led countless people into our field. But then, Edison......"

He shook his head, said no more, and asked Lu Shi instead: "Professor Lu, what do you think about these questions?" ”

Lu Shi said: "The way to treat both the symptoms and the root cause is, of course, to set up a sub-journal. ”

Tesla first heard about the concept,

"What do you mean?"

Lu Shi replied: "Take Science as an example. It can continue to be a comprehensive journal, but only publish the top and most valuable articles. And the rest of the articles can be classified, such as optics, you can do a "Science Optics"~"

Tesla nodded again and again,

Thought

This is indeed a symptomatic and a root cause.

But then he said, "There is still a problem." With the size of the current academic circle, it is impossible to support so many sub-journals. ”

The corners of Lu Shi's mouth hooked an arc,

"That's what students didn't ask for when they graduated. What if, suppose, I am a master's supervisor and require my students to have published a paper in a journal with an impact factor of 5 or higher when they graduate? ”

"Ah......h

Tesla was shocked,

Looking at Lu Shi, it was as if a lightning bolt of enlightening wisdom had blasted into it from the Heavenly Spirit Gai.

The heart says,

What a "genius" idea!

In order to graduate, students must be crazy to post papers and cite crazy,

Under the flooding, it is difficult to say that the volume of the academic circle is not up to it, and the number of papers published will definitely increase explosively.

In this case, the mentor must pay more attention to the impact factor.

Students have to send more papers.

After that, a spiral is formed,

The impact factor is completely bound to scientific research ability, which has become the most important criterion for measuring a journal, and then measuring a student's work results.

Tesla groaned,

"It's a good idea, but it only works in the long run. What have you done in recent years? ”

Lu Shi said: "In recent years, we will treat the symptoms first~"

Tesla was curious: "How to treat the symptoms?" ”

Lu Shi explained: "The impact factor can be weighted to balance the disciplines. There are few people in physics, and there are few papers published, so their weight is increased; The number of chemical researchers and the number of papers published are also reduced, so their weight is reduced. ”

Tesla spreads his hands,

"It's really simple. But the question is, who sets the weights? "Nature" definitely likes physics and mathematics, and "Science" definitely likes chemistry and biology. It takes an organization or individual who can convince all journals to do ......"

Suddenly, Tesla stopped talking,

When he stared at the landing,

Isn't there an individual who convinces all journals right in front of you?

At this time, he finally figured out the true purpose of AAAS letting him come to Lushi.

complained in my heart,

Those old bastards have an average level of scientific research, but they are very strong in academics.

Tesla said to Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, have you ever thought about working in AAAS?" You don't need to work on duty, just put on a name. ”

"Tsk......"

Lu Shi was speechless,

Like a mirror in my heart,

The other party is trying to win over himself~

He smiled: "I study literature and history, how can I have that ability?" ”

Tesla waved his hand,

"AAAS is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Do you know what departments are there? ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Which ones?"

Tesla swiped his mustache and counted: "Executive Office, Finance & Administration, Human Resources, Development, International Projects, Education & Human Resources ......"

It's all administrative departments.

Lu Shi: "......"

"What about the departments in charge of disciplines?"

Tesla laughed: "Generally in universities and laboratories around the world. ”

For no other reason,

The departments in charge of the disciplines need professors from Niu X, and these professors often have teaching positions or research jobs.

Tesla continued: "So, it's not a question of ability at all, it's a question of will. Professor Lu, if you are willing to work in AAAS, you can choose from any department, even in addition to the position of president of the association. ”

This is already a bribe of Chi Guoguo.

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"Mr. Tesla, why do you have to do this? The proportion of weights is actually very simple, just calculate according to the number of people in each discipline~ Suppose that there are 100,000 students in biology and 10,000 people studying physics ...... in the world"

Before the words fell, Tesla whispered, "Professor Lu, I understand what you mean. However, there is still room for manoeuvre. ”

Lu Shi said: "Operation space? I think it's fair! ”

Tesla was a little helpless,

"Professor Lu, just pretend to be confused. Compared with undergraduate and graduate students, is the former considered a person? Compared with MIT students and Harvard students, is the former considered a person? Moreover, some schools have laboratories, some do not, and do the students of the former count as people? ”

At this time, MIT had not yet risen,

In the eyes of most Americans, MIT is a satellite school of Harvard, the kind that could be swallowed up at any time.

Having said so much, Tesla still doesn't feel like it's enjoyable,

He sighed: "Cows and horses are cows and horses!" It's not even a person, so why be the denominator of weight? ”

(End of chapter)