It happens to me, but I suppose the same happens to most of my colleagues to receive many CV, especially from excellent guys developing countries. Some of them are remarkable but they usually do not meet my requirements. What is the problem ? They are clearly very motivated and smart persons. However there is a constant in their backgrounds. They were trained in using models like HEC-RAS-HMS or SWAT or even MODFLOW and they wrote papers about case studies (regional studies they call them now). This is not bad at all obviously and that “standard knowledge” should be part of any robust professional. There are other two variations the CVs: the use of machine learning techniques (under standard frameworks) to infer something or the use of Earth observation "products" to extract something of information (often without ground check). Sometimes their work is valuable and again, how can we say that they should not be part of the professional CV ?
However all of this has just a little to do with the research gold medal which stand in investigating processes, learning from them, disentangling their feedbacks, implementing new tools. Their trying to do something new remains within the very limited scope which is allowed by something built by others and not open to modifications and evolutions. That's what I would like to see instead: these solid bases but also a little spark that try to go out for this standard comfort zone.
For my critics, it is true that I push my activities to the extreme, to the point that all discusses, not only processes, but also tools, the way to build them, the way to share them with others. It is true that, it can be seen as an act of high presumption, which prepares, for normal people like me, to a destiny of failures, low productivity and frustration, far away out of the highways of the industrial success of some paradigms. Then if you do not have to imitate me to the limit, at least take the good of my perspective and do not stay still in a cycle which all renews for nothing change.
I appreciate your thoughts on the CVs and research of students from developing countries. While I agree that it is important to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and strive for innovation, I also believe that it is important to recognize the limitations and challenges that students from developing countries face.
ReplyDeleteAs a student from a developing country myself, I can understand the appeal of using ready-made models and software, as it may be the only resources available to us. We may not have the same level of education or support as students from Western countries, and it is not necessarily our fault. It is unfair to criticize us for utilizing what resources we have, especially if it allows us to still produce valuable work.
However, I also agree with your perspective on trying to go beyond the standard comfort zone and strive for innovation. It is important for us to constantly challenge ourselves and push the boundaries of what we know.
I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how students from developing countries can access more resources and support in order to pursue more innovative research. Is there a way for us to bridge the gap and have more opportunities to grow and learn?
I was not saying that it is student fault. Maybe it could be teacher's fault who should change the courses contents. Bridging the gap is not easy not because information is missing. Nowadays very high level material is present on line. What is missing is direction on what to choose. This is one gap I try to fill with this blog, sharing my models and my lectures on-line.
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