
How to Build a Bad Research Center (2013) - tomaskazemekas
http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-123.pdf?imm_mid=0ddf30&cmp=em-data-na-na-newsltr_20151230
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teddyh
> _Good Commandment 5. Thou shalt disturb thy neighbors._

> _Researchers have found that innovation is enhanced if all participants work
> in a single open space less than 50 meters across, as it encourages
> spontaneous discussions across disciplines.[viii] The goal is for the space
> to support concentration and communication. For example, for the last four
> centers of Table I, the faculty gave up their private offices to be embedded
> with students and postdocs in open space, where only the meeting rooms have
> walls.[ix] Faculty access draws students from their home offices to the lab,
> which increases chances of interactions. A downside of shared space is the
> cost of remodeling to create an attractive open space . This is a one-time
> capital expense, since following projects will use it, but even so, the cost
> was equal to just two students over the life of a center. Shared open space
> is certainly more beneficial to a center than a few more students_

I have to wonder how they get any research done.

[http://heeris.id.au/2013/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-
interrupt-...](http://heeris.id.au/2013/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-interrupt-a-
programmer/)

Do they normally have very quiet participants and students?

~~~
paulsutter
Management really believes that the open space is more collaborative and has a
better "buzz" that really does feel, to the manager, like more work is getting
done.

Of course, employees hate open space. Constant distractions, and the pervasive
feeling of being watched by everyone, all the time.

It's really interesting that management is so out of touch. (I say this as a
manager who loved big open offices, until I read on HN - 1000 times over - how
consistently employees hate open offices).

~~~
brazzledazzle
I think it's the same reason managers have a reputation for booking meetings
far beyond what's reasonable. It works... for _them_. For the managers lots of
meetings really does result in getting more work done. The thought seems to
rarely cross their minds that meetings are crippling for almost any non-
management role, doubly so if it involves any kind of creativity.

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icefox
> It’s hard to predict information technology trends much longer than five
> years. We start a center based on our best guess of what new opportunities
> will present themselves in 7 to 10 years

What do people here think are opportunities that are not available now, but
will be in 7-10 years?

~~~
csours
Well, sustainable fusion is 30 years out and the singularity is 50, so there's
that.

Internet of Extremely Shitty Things[1] for sure.

Actual Cloud (Now with Grey Goo!®).

Available now, but not pursued to the fullest: in-body medical/monitoring
devices; self driving cars.

1\.
[https://twitter.com/internetofshit?lang=en](https://twitter.com/internetofshit?lang=en)

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ehudla
Contrary to what he writes, I don't see how well this translates to
disciplines doing pure rather than applied work.

