Appendix 1
TAPESCRIPTS
Tapescript 1. POSTGRADUATE LEVELS IN RUSSIA
The postgraduate diploma structure so far retains its unique Soviet pattern established in 1934. The system makes a distinction between scientific degrees, evidencing personal postgraduate achievement in scientific research, and related but separate academic titles, evidencing personal achievement in university-level education. There are two successive postgraduate degrees: kandidat nauk (Candidate of Sciences) and doktor nauk (Doctor of Sciences). Both are a certificate of scientific, rather than academic, achievement, and must be backed up by original/ novel scientific work, evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals and a dissertation defended in front of the senior academic board. The titles are issued by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education. A degree is always awarded in one of the predetermined fields of science.
Kandidat nauk can be achieved within university environment, specialised research facilities. A typical kandidat nauk path from admission to diploma takes about 3 years. The dissertation paper should contain a solution of an existing scientific problem, or a practical proposal. The title is often perceived as equivalent to Western Ph.D., although this may vary depending on the field of study, and may not be seen as such outside of Russia. Doktor nauk, the next stage, implies achieving significant scientific output. This title is often equated to the German or Scandinavian habilitation. The dissertation paper should summarise the author’s research resulting in theoretical statements that are qualified as a new discovery, solution of an existing problem, or a practical proposal. The road from kandidat to doktor typically takes 10 years of dedicated research activity; one in four candidates reaches this stage.
Academic titles of dotsent and professor are issued to active university staff who already achieved degrees of kandidat or doktor'. the rules prescribe authoring established course books in their chosen field, and mentoring successful postgraduate trainees; special, less formal rules apply to professors of arts.
Tapescript 2. DOING A PHD
A PhD is a unique degree in that it is not focused on acquiring more knowledge. A Master’s essentially provides more knowledge or more in-depth knowledge in a subject. But doing a PhD is oriented around research. Due to the focus and importance of research in a PhD, it is often believed that creating new knowledge is the main goal of a PhD. Though creating new knowledge is part of the PhD training, the main objective of doing a PhD degree is to become a competent researcher who can conduct independent research in the chosen area.
If we go by the premise that the purpose of a PhD programme is to produce competent researchers, then the research done during a PhD is primarily for contributing towards this goal and the nature and sophistication of the research output is less important. What is important is to learn to properly formulate a problem and apply suitable techniques to produce results that further the state of understanding about that problem. The ability to conduct research in an area requires deep knowledge in that area, knowledge about related areas, and the experience of working on research problems, i.e. problems whose outcomes are not known. To develop these critical abilities, most PhD programmes have three components in them — some course work to provide the breath of knowledge, some methods to develop the depth of knowledge in the chosen area of study, and a thesis that provides the experience of working on research problems. Through these components a PhD candidate should expect to develop the abilities, which form the foundation of a career in research.
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Tapescript 3. THESIS AND FINAL DEFENCE
In Russia, the work on a thesis (dissertation) is commonly carried out during a postgraduate study period called aspirantura. It is performed either within an educational institution (such as a university) or a scientific research institution (such as an institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences network). It can also be carried out without a direct connection to the academy. In exceptional cases, the Candidate of Sciences degree may be awarded on the basis of published scholarly works without writing the thesis. In experimental sciences the dissertation is based on an independent research project conducted under the supervision of a professor, the results of which must be published in at least three papers in peer-review journals.
A necessary prerequisite is taking courses in philosophy and a foreign language, and passing qualifying examinations called candidate minimum. In the Soviet Union, the candidate minimum included exams in the specialty field of the postgraduate student, in a foreign language of his/her choice and in Scientific Communism. In post-Soviet Russia and other post-Soviet states, the examination in Scientific Communism was replaced by that in Philosophy, and in Russia recently in History and Philosophy of Science.
The thesis is presented and defended at the accredited educational or scientific institutions before a committee called the Academic Council. The Council consists of about 20 members, who are the leading specialists in the field of the thesis and who have been selected and approved to serve on the Council. The summary (the author’s abstract) of the thesis must be published before the public defence in 100 copies, and distributed to major research organisations and libraries. The degree seeker must have an official scientific supervisor. The thesis must be delivered together with official references of several reviewers, called opponents. In a procedure called the defence of the thesis the thesis is summarised before the Council, followed by the opponents’ speeches or the reading of their references, and replies to the opponents’ comments and the Council members’ questions by the postgraduate student. If the defence is successful, it is recommended and later must be approved by the central statewide board called the Higher Attestation Commission.
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Tapescript 4. SOME TYPES OF RESEARCH
Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. The methods of research utilised in descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds, including comparative and correlational methods. In analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyse these to make a critical evaluation of the material.
Research can either be applied research or fundamental (basic or pure) research. Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business organisation, whereas fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalisations and with the formulation of a theory. Gathering knowledge for the sake of knowledge is termed pure or basic research. Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure mathematics are examples of fundamental research. Similarly research studies, concerning human behaviour carried on with a view to make generalisations about human behaviour, are also examples of fundamental research, but research aimed at certain conclusions (say a solution) facing a concrete social or business problem is an example of applied research. Research to identify social, economic or political trends that may affect a particular institution or the marketing research or evaluation research are examples of applied research. Thus, the central aim of applied research is to discover a solution for some pressing practical problem, whereas basic research is directed towards finding information that has a broad base of applications and thus, adds to the already existing organised body of scientific knowledge.
Tapescript 5. COMPUTERS IN RESEARCH
Computers are indispensable throughout a research process. The role of a computer becomes more important when the research is on a large sample. Data can be stored in computers for immediate use or can be stored in auxiliary memories like floppy discs, compact discs or memory cards, so that the same can be retrieved later. Computers assist a researcher throughout different phases of the research process. There are five major phases of the research process. They are: a conceptual phase, a design and planning phase, an empirical phase, an analytic phase, and a dissemination phase.
The conceptual phase consists of the formulation of research problem, the review of literature, theoretical frame work and the formulation of a hypothesis. Computers help for searching literature and bibliographic references stored in the electronic databases of the World Wide Web. They can thus be used for storing relevant published articles to be retrieved whenever needed. This has the advantage over searching literature in the form of books and journals in libraries, which consumes a considerable amount of time and effort. The design and planning phase consists of research design, research variables, sampling a plan, reviewing a research plan and pilot study. The empirical phase consists of collecting and preparing the data for analysis. The data obtained are stored in computers as Word files or Excel spread sheets. This has the advantage of making necessary corrections or editing the whole layout of tables if needed, which is impossible or time consuming in case of writing on paper. Thus, computers help in data entry, data editing, data management including follow-up actions etc. Many types of software are now available to perform the mathematical part of the research process, i.e. calculations, using various methods. Computers are useful not only for statistical analyses, but also for monitoring the accuracy and completeness of the data as they are collected. The phase of research dissemination is the publication of the research study. A research article is typed in the Word format and converted to the Portable Data Format (PDF) and stored and/or published in the World Wide Web.
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The above description indicates clearly the usefulness of a computer throughout the research process. Researchers using computers do their work faster with more accuracy and greater reliability. The development taking place in the technology will further enhance and facilitate the use of computers for researchers.
Tapescript 6. TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS
Oral delivery is the most common form of presenting research at formal meetings. The setting can range from a small conference room to a large auditorium. It is important to make a clear distinction between the documents you prepared for the proceedings document and the oral presentation your audience will be exposed to. Never plan to merely read your paper to the audience. The research discussed in the written document should be identical to the research reported in your oral presentation; all pertinent information needs to be in both. However, your oral presentation should take advantage of an opportunity to discuss your research with your audience and to customise that discussion to interests expressed during the exchange.
Poster presentations offer an even greater opportunity to make your research relevant to the unique interests of your audience because you can be engaged in one-to-one conversations with those who stop to view your exhibit. Simply stated, a poster presentation is a tabletop display of your research enhanced by your being available to further expand the information in direct response to questions posed by your audience. In some cases, poster presentations are left in place while the authors are engaged in other activities. For that reason, it is important to make every effort to design the presentation so that it can “stand alone.” If at all possible, handouts that offer more detailed information about your project should be available for those who visit the display.
Tapescript 7. GOALS OF CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE
Attending a conference is a professionally rewarding experience. In addition to socialising with colleagues from other institutions and a trip to a possibly exotic locale, the two main reasons to attend a conference are to hear presentations and to converse with other researchers.
Listening to presentations will inform you of what others are doing (sometimes more clearly than the paper), will inspire research ideas of your own, and will expose you to different styles of presentation. As your career advances, you will learn that even though listening to the talks is extremely valuable, hallway conversations can be even more fruitful. Do everything you can to cultivate such conversations: that is one of your chief jobs at the conference. Some people are naturally gregarious; some people have trained themselves to be that way; and others can be shy about approaching people they don’t know at a conference. Gather up your courage and do it anyway; you will learn a lot, and eventually you will get better at it. Most other people in the room were once in exactly that same position.
You should also tell others about your research. Think about how to frame your work to convey how interesting it is. This is an important skill not just for a conference but in general. Plan your pitch, practise it with your friends, and then further refine it through interactions at the conference. Remember to talk first about the goals of your research, and only then about the techniques you are using. You have to convince others that the work is worth hearing before they will be willing to listen to the technical details. You will learn a lot from talking about your work - seeing what confuses people and receiving their ideas and suggestions, for example — but remember that no one likes to be in a conversation in which they only listen. You need to always tell people about your work, but also be sure to ask others about their work (even doing so first). You will also learn a lot by listening and by asking questions. Keep an open mind, and try to deeply understand their research.
Tapescript 8. ACADEMIC WRITING STRUCTURE
A broad definition of academic writing is any writing done to fulfill a requirement of a college or university. Academic writing is also used for publications that are read by teachers and researchers or presented at conferences. A very broad definition of academic writing could include any writing assignment given in an academic setting. Academic writing is used in books, book reports, essays, research articles, dissertations, and abstracts.
The academic writing structure includes the introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction, you must grab the reader’s attention and identify the thesis of the paper. You can do this by starting with several questions or a quote from a famous work or person to pique the reader’s interest. You could also start with some interesting information or a definition of an important term related to the work. The body of the work is the main part and the paragraphs must be clearly written and be arranged in a logical order, like chronologically or in order of importance. Each initial sentence links the preceding paragraph and the whole section flows smoothly. In the conclusion, you re-emphasize the thesis and summarise all the main points. The conclusion consists of one paragraph which shows the final conclusion to the reader. The paragraphs in the body of the work need to begin with a topic sentence and all the sentences after that need to be coherent. This is established by repeating important words, using synonyms and substitutions for the main subject, and using words that make a transition between sentences, like: however, for example, or therefore. The body of the work needs to have paragraphs that are coherent just like sentences. The topic sentence of each paragraph should link the paragraph with the preceding one or the thesis statement. You link paragraphs by repeating key words, referring to ideas from the previous paragraph, and using transitional words and sentences. Whether you are writing a research paper, or a thesis, these tips should help your paper be authoritative and coherent. Your thesis will be substantiated and explanations clear. Readers of your paper will follow your reasoning and understand your conclusion.
Tapescript 9. THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange, was proposed to the U.S. Congress in 1945 by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. In the aftermath of World War II, Senator Fulbright viewed the proposed program as a much-needed vehicle for promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world”. His vision was approved by Congress and the program was signed into law by President Truman in 1946. The Fulbright grants are awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception, approximately 279,500 participants have been chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential with the opportunity to exchange ideas and to contribute to finding solutions to shared issues. Of these participants, 46,100 have been overseas academics and professionals who have conducted research or taught in U.S. universities as Fulbright Visiting Scholars, and more than 44,400 U.S. faculty and professionals who have engaged in similar activities abroad. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries and in the United States also contribute financially through cost-sharing and indirect support, such as salary supplements, tuition waivers and university housing.
Here are the Fulbright Programs for Russians. Each program has links to its own details, rules, forms, and frequently asked questions. The Fulbright Graduate Students Program is for graduate students; grants include studies in Master’s programs (up to 2 years of study) or postgraduate study (1 academic year) in the USA. Applicants should be under 30. The Fulbright Faculty Development Program is for faculty. It lasts 5 months. Applicants should be under 40. The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is for scholars who have a kandidatskaya degree in Russia or a higher academic level (doctorate and over). No age limitations. Grants last from 3 to 9 months. The Russia International Education Administrators Program is especially for International departments staff and information materials are sent directly to these departments. The Foreign Language Teacher Assistant Program is for current English teachers or for students who are graduating in the current year from universities with a diploma in teaching English. Applicants should be under 29.
Tapescript 10. JOB OR FURTHER STUDY?
Many students feel torn between the options of getting their first job (and starting to make some inroads into their student debt) and pursuing postgraduate study to improve their prospects in the job market. The good news is that there are loads of options that will allow you to have the best of both worlds. You have studied hard for three or four years and got your degree. Maybe it was in a non-vocational subject and you have now focused on your route forwards and, although you recognise that it will mean some further study, you need to earn some money too. Perhaps you have been working for a while and feel the need to develop your skills in your chosen field. Whatever the reason, postgraduate study in a huge range of subjects is now available in a variety of formats — so you don’t have to choose between work and study. Most universities offer a range of options designed to enable students to find a work/study balance while studying for a Master’s of or even a Doctorate.
Many postgraduate taught and research programmes are available part time. These may be taught in blocks of time (for example, one or two weeks of intensive tuition followed by home study), day release, and evening classes or even at a limited number of weekends. They can last from one to two years, or more if you are pursuing research. Teaching programmes have been revolutionised since the introduction of distance learning. This means that, wherever you live, you can continue to study, learn and progress your career. Such programmes give you the flexibility to study when it suits you and there are no timetabled classes to attend. Overseas students may find it less easy to study postgraduate courses on a part-time basis due to possible visa restrictions. Make enquiries before you book on a course.
Being able to start or continue working either full or part time will help you financially but you may also be able to get funding from your employer to help with the course fees. If your proposed postgraduate course is work related, it is worth asking your employer if they are willing to sponsor you or give you some extra time off. Many employers will help with the funding of professional qualifications -for instance, in fields such as property, or accountancy.
Appendix 2
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Text 1. DOWNTOWN
By A. Greeman
Birmingham s latest development includes a 44 storey-tower with a five storey basement. Bachy Soletanche is just finishing the foundations.
Birmingham, England has long had a reputation as a windswept concrete jungle, the result of road focused re-development in the 1960s. But a wave of new development is modernising the city centre with friendlier mixed use schemes. One of the biggest is transforming a bleak space close to the Snow Hill station, the city’s second central railway station. For years the area has been mainly rough ground, used for car parking alongside a main road, with railway lines nearby and assorted 1960s concrete multistorey car parks.
Now steel frame blocks are rising on a three part site being developed by Ballymore for mixed use, with offices, retail space and hotel floors above. Largest will be a development with two towers on the square site at the end, one of these a future landmark with 44 floors, the city’s highest building. Landscaped space will also be over a five-storey basement car park filling the whole 96,000 m2 space. To create this large volume and tower foundations, groundwork specialist Bachy Soletanche has been installing a deep contiguous piled wall around the site this summer. In recent weeks, as the large excavation inside got underway inside, it has been back on site to install a line of ground anchors in the wall.
“These are for temporary support of the wall during the basement construction,” explains contracts manager Steve Mallinson. “Once the concreted base slab and floors are in place they will provide all the structural support needed and the anchors will be cut through.” The tendons will remain in the ground afterwards. “We also had to do ten plunge columns for the site approach ramp within the main wall,” says Mallinson. These hefty steel H-section columns, surrounded by pea gravel inside their pile casings, are gradually being exposed again as the site excavation proceeds. Contractor PC Harrington is doing the excavation and base concreting at present. But until recently Bachy has unusually had the site to itself. “We were effectively a main contractor,” says Mal- linson, “installing security and site welfare, arranging spoil disposal and concrete deliveries.”
It was a change, he says, not having to interleave between other work, though with two support cranes, two Bauer BG 22 piling rigs, spoil heaps, reinforcement deliveries and site accommodation to deal with, the site became full enough. As the 241 piles in the perimeter wall were installed he even had to block off two of three site entrances, which meant some careful logistics were needed. For the 220 m length of the main wall, project design consultant WSP had opted for contiguous piles, “which is the right choice,” says Malhnson, “because the ground is dry and you don’t need any interlocking.”
The wall will hold back the ground which comprises a few metres of fill, then a 3-5 m thick sand layer which becomes weathered sandstone further down and gradually more competent rock. “The bedrock layer slopes from 2 m to 14 m down across the site and the piles must be up to 17.5 m deep,” says site engineer Mathew Brown, “though they average out a little less.”
To get through this fairly soft ground should be relatively straightforward. Bachy hoped to work with continuous flight piling mainly, which is quick and economical. But there is always a but. On this site it was obstacles in the ground, remnants of the 1960s, including various road underpasses and subways. “A lot of it was grubbed out in a preparatory contract,” says Brown. “But there was some left where it would have caused undermining of the highway.”
The obstacles were mainly several metres down and up to 3 m thick. To get through meant using the full strength of the Bauer rigs in straight boring mode — the dual purpose rigs could be converted for such work in about 24 hours and then drove through the hard material with tungsten carbide boring heads. “We had site investigation data but did further probe piles at various locations around the perimeter to work out what we could do with the CFA and what would take the harder cased bored work,” says Mallinson. In the end about 30% bored piling was needed, somewhat less than Bachy had estimated, which meant it came out ahead.
But there is often another but. The sandstone and sand caused difficulties with both types of piling “because porous ground tends to suck the moisture out of the concrete,” says Mallinson. “That made it stiffer and harder to get the pre-made reinforcement cages in after the augur was withdrawn.” Bachy switched to a more fluid mix and a highly disciplined pile procedure where cages were positioned within a minute of the augur being withdrawn.
For the ten top-down piles Bachy installed a basic bored pile with casing and then used its special plunge column rig to achieve the 5 mm accuracy needed for positioning the 1 section steel columns. A steel frame sitting on the casings had three sets of hydraulic rams for precision adjustment of the central steel while it was fixed with around 5 m of concrete at the pile base. Pea gravel fills the casing. The 12 weeks’ schedule met, Bachy retired for a month while the excavation began, returning in late October to begin anchoring. Some 70 anchors go in, a row of one every three piles. Each is 15 m long and 178 mm diameter, driven by a Casagrande M6 articulating rig.
Five strand reinforcement bundles from Diwidag are grouted into the bottom 6 m or so of the anchor which runs at a 45° incline into the sandstone. That too has gone to schedule and the site is now almost ready for the main works by contractor Altius.
The Snow Hill development as it will look.
Snow Hill development includes 56,000 m2 of office space, a five- star hotel and 332 luxury apartments in a 44-storey tower, five major new public spaces which — it is hoped — will create a new core to Birmingham’s commercial heartland Kier Group is the main contractor with Arup heading up the mechanical and electrical engineering contract, while Alan Baxter Associates is the structures and highways consultant. Ballymore Properties is the developer of the Snow Hill project. It has worked on 22 city centre projects in Liverpool, Luton, Bristol and London. In London’s Docklands, current schemes include Pan Peninsula, Ontario Tower and Leamouth Peninsula [Aew Civil Engineer International, February, 2008].
ARCHITECTURE
Text 2. CRUSCH ALBA LOFT IN BARCELONA
By D. Cohn
Swiss architect Gus Wustemann defines his design approach as “program-free architecture,” in which “everything that contaminates the space with a program disappears.” Kitchens, baths, and circulation corridors are anathema to him, as are conventional living rooms and bedrooms, and the walls and doors that define them. In his designs, they are all subsumed into a larger spatial idea. He even criticizes the typical New York loft, seemingly a classic example of program-free living: “Today a loft is just a big space without quality. You put a cube in it, a kitchen or whatever, and it degrades everything.”
Wustemann commutes weekly between his practice in Zurich and Barcelona, where he has settled with his wife and two children in a 2,000-square-foot apartment in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. Baptized the Crusch Alba (“White Cross” in Romantsch, one of Switzerland’s official languages), this residence demonstrates just what Wustemann means by deprogrammed architecture.
The apartment, situated on the second floor of a building dating to about 1860, is divided by a major bearing wall. The existing front half, with three floor-to-ceiling balcony windows overlooking a narrow pedestrian street, easily lent itself to becoming an open living area. But the back was a warren of rooms dimly lit by several tiny patios. After studying dozens of possible solutions, Wustemann came up with the idea of the white cross. Inspired by the notion of an urban crossroads, he enveloped this cross in white gypsum board and subtle lighting to create an organizational center that fills the rear section with abundant light.