Ashley I mean no disrespect to your view, but would argue that your second sentence is wrong in two ways: 1) communication skills are essential in science, more essential than programming skill, which is of course useful, and more so than ever given science’s increasing role in society, 2) There IS a logic to English grammar and syntax. It was taught in ancient times when I was in grade school, but from the writing I see in papers submitted to journals and elsewhere, it appears that it is rarely taught today. > >> On Feb 3, 2015, at 8:50 AM, Ballantyne, Ashley >> <ashley.ballant...@umontana.edu <mailto:ashley.ballant...@umontana.edu>> >> wrote: >> >> Just to be fair we should implement an exam to ensure that all graduate >> students are fluent in at least one computer language- regardless of native >> language! I would argue that logical computer syntax is more critical than >> illogical English syntax to one's future success in science. >> >> ash >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news >> [mailto:ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu <mailto:ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu>] On >> Behalf Of David Inouye >> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2015 4:38 PM >> To: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu <mailto:ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu> >> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] language exam for Ph.D. students? >> >> I know Univ. of NC still had a requirement in mid-1970s as I had to take an >> exam then, and my son had to take one at Duke in the 1990s. >> Are there still any Ph.D. programs that require students take a language >> exam? Typically students had to read a paper in the chosen language, and >> then answer questions about it posed by a faculty member or committee to >> confirm comprehension. So just a reading requirement, not spoken. >> >> David Inouye > > <PastedGraphic-1.tiff> >
Don McKenzie Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Lab US Forest Service donaldmcken...@fs.fed.us <mailto:donaldmcken...@fs.fed.us>
