Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Introduction and Research Objectives

Hey Guys

My name is Joseph Kalina and am a research assistant for Dr.Shermer of Loyola University Chicago. Much of my internship will consist of secondary source reconnaissance for a new book of Dr.Shermer's. The focus of the book is the influence of private funding and business in public, research-intensive universities. I will be assisting in the construction of bibliographies by locating relevant secondary sources and categorizing their subject matter by the focus of the study focus (integration, expansion, science, etc).
The objective of this internship is to fulfill a dual focus. I will be both aiding Professor Shermer by acquiring and categorizing sources of which she may find useful as well as improving my own abilities in the field of research. The larger picture is that this internship will provide an opportunity for me to gain more hands-on experience in the historical and academic realm which will undoubtedly be useful for my future endeavors.
This internship experience has three overarching objectives. One objective is to familiarize myself with various methods of research to find the sources I am keen to acquire. Secondly, I will summarize and categorize them in alignment with the specifications set by Dr. Shermer. Lastly, I will strive to answer the following questions:
1) How has private funding effected research universities? (while specifically examining the State University of New York, Arizona State University, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of California at San Diego). 
2) How has the impact and degree of funding from the state/federal level compare to the impact of private funding?

Lets find out.