December 2004

Magazine lauds research at Purdue

By Tanya Brown, Lafayette Journal and Courier

When Tim Sands was considering moving his family across the country, from the San Francisco Bay area to the farmlands of Indiana, he took the decision-making process very seriously.

What he saw at Purdue University, the school where he now works in an endowed chair position, convinced him that the opportunities were worth traveling nearly 2,200 miles.

"It was the overall momentum here," he said. "I got a sense when I visited here that things were on the move. There was just a lot of energy."

According to a survey published in the most recent issue of The Scientist magazine, Sands' feelings were correct. The survey ranks Purdue No. 2 in the nation of best places to work in academia. The survey, which polled nearly 1,500 researchers, ranked Indiana University 10th in the nation, with the University of Michigan coming in seventh place. The California Institute of Technology took home the top honor.

The magazine ranked 91 institutions from across the United States, Europe and Canada, based on responses to positive statements about working conditions and environments. U.S. rankings were determined using a slightly different factor system, since health care and tenure, as well as other important factors in the United States, are not as valued overseas.

Sands, who attained his degrees and worked at the University of California at Berkeley before coming to Purdue in 2002, said the amount of initiative was a deal clincher. "I was very excited at the idea of a nano community," said Sands, whose research involves converting thermal energy into cooling power to improve devices that we already use, such as the compressor in a refrigerator or air conditioner in a car.

Because of Discovery Park and the faculty being hired in conjunction with the five-year strategic plan that Purdue president Martin Jischke implemented, Sands said his colleagues are some of the best in the world, something important to him and the researchers who responded to the study. His endowed chair position, something not all universities are able to offer to potential candidates, also made a difference in his experience at Purdue.

"It allows me to take some more risks than I normally would be allowed to do," Sands said. "I can get a student involved, and if it pays off, then I can apply for more grants. I like having that money to play with when trying to start new things."

Jonathan Wilker, an assistant professor of chemistry who works in biological materials, agrees. "It's one of the places that when they make you an offer it's very difficult to decline," he said. "When the people around you are more pleasant, it makes it more enjoyable to come in everyday."

Wilker, who has been at the university since 1999, is impressed with the research facilities and infrastructure. When the quality of your colleagues' work is unmatched, it makes your job easier as well, Wilker said. "They're less competitive and less aggressive with each other inside the department," he said. "Rather than not negative, it can be pleasant. You actually look forward to coming to work."

Much of this enthusiasm to excel comes from an awareness that staff members are a part of something greater. "I think Dr. Jischke has really created a sense of building excellence that has become renowned around the nation," said Sanders Howse, president of the West Lafayette-Lafayette Community Development Corp. "People who work there know that they are part of something exciting."

Connie Weaver, head of foods and nutrition, said interdisciplinary research and the spirit of working together is what sets Purdue apart from other schools. "You can be in a place with all the perks and not accomplish much when there are all the barriers," she said.

Sands said some of the barriers he doesn't miss are the differences in lifestyles. "My wife was in her car three hours a day," he said. "We had our kids in private schools because the public schools weren't doing what we needed."

The quality of the local school system was a definite draw to the Purdue area for the father of four, where opportunities for his children to engage in sports and music abound. These programs were all but left behind in California, because of a lack of resources, Sands said.
"Although the arts are probably better supported in the bigger cities, our kids have actually gotten a little more culture because its so accessible," he said.

Does he miss the startling views of the San Francisco Bay area, where he could see 25 miles out to sea on a clear day? "Yes, but it's green here. I think it's rather pretty. We travel a lot with the kids, and that's how we satisfy our need for mountains and oceans," Sands said. "We'll be here for a while."
-- Contributing: Annette Kent/Journal and Courier.

Find out more
You can link to the article that details the best places to work in academia by going to The Scientist Web site at www.the-scientist.com.

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