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“[A]s it currently stands, the choice is between being a “serious” scholar who engages no one or an “unserious” scholar whose work is read by many but, because of that, counts for nothing. I’m obviously not endorsing this model, nor am I saying it’s the same in all disciplines, as I would love to be in a discipline in which my work mattered on its merits rather than for what its publication wins me; however, for those invested in the system as it’s currently constituted, the idea of public engagement is understandably frightening. After all, if you’ve spent decades advancing up the tenure ladder by never being read, a situation in which your work might be read and evaluated could result in people judging–and determining whether you deserve–your ostensibly illustrious career.”
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“Win-win solutions can be hard to come by. But if Cornell University soil scientist Johannes Lehmann is right, there may be a way to lower our emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, save millions of people’s lives, and significantly boost the productivity of the world’s farms–all at the same time. And, most remarkably, his strategy is based on a deceptively simple technology invented 8,000 years ago.”