British writer

Tesla finally understood the academic circle.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"Actually, it's not that big of a deal~"

Tesla smiled and said: "Professor Lu, anyone with a discerning eye can see that there was a weighting game in last year's Global University Rankings. Why are Cambridge and Oxford ranked in front of the University of Paris? Why are there so many American universities on the list? Everyone knows the tricky part!"

Very thorough.

Lu Shi stopped refuting,

"..."

Silence fell.

Tesla looked at Lu and said nothing. Then he realized that he had talked a little too much.

He quickly explained: "Professor Lu, I didn't mean to say that you were a scholar."

Lu Shi chuckled,

"It's okay, it doesn't matter what you say."

Tesla was confused: "Huh?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"Because I already am."

The carriage was silent again,

After a while,

"Pfft! Hahaha..."

Tesla laughed and whispered: "If everyone was so honest, things would be easier to handle."

He sighed,

"Actually, what I just said is the truth. For example, when comparing undergraduates and master's students, their scientific research capabilities are very different. No matter how many citations the former has in their papers, what's the point? They really don't even deserve to be used as the denominator."

Lu Shi said "hmm\

,""you mean?"

Tesla replied: "As I said just now, authoritative institutions or authoritative people will set the weights."

Lu Shi opened his mouth and was about to refute,

Tesla quickly added: "When I say 'authority', I don't mean academics. Academic achievements cannot be compared at all. For example, can Mr. Roentgen and Sir Kelvin be compared? 'Authority' refers to status. "

Goodman next to him nodded slightly.

"I agree too."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"Agree to what?"

Goodman said: "At last year's Nobel Prize dinner, all the winners invited you to speak on stage. This is status. What's more, you are a director of many universities and have a background in academic research institutions..."

This can no longer be considered flattery.

Because it's true.

Lu Shi fell into deep thought.

At this time, the driver's voice came from outside:

"Gentlemen, we have arrived."

The three jumped out of the car.

The last time I came here, Harvard was preparing to expand, and a large piece of land on the west side of the campus was vacant.

A year has passed and the expansion has begun.

The air is filled with the smell of earth,

Workers were dressed in work clothes, and their busy figures were shuttled around the construction site, interspersed with the rhythmic sound of knocking and the roar of machines.

Tesla wiped his sweat and caught up with Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, let me say one more thing."

Lu Shi said, "Please speak."

Tesla whispered: "AAAS will not give up easily and will definitely continue to send lobbyists. And if you want to promote the implementation of impact factors, you will definitely need AAAS's help. So, you might as well consider how to cooperate."

This is a very sound suggestion.

Lu Shi nodded,

"I know."

Tesla smiled and said no more.

The three of them walked toward Harvard Yard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I arrived at the door, I found a white man in a suit and tie standing there.

In the hot summer day, sweat slid down his forehead and dripped down his cheeks, leaving traces of water on the ground.

He looked around, obviously waiting for someone.

Soon, he noticed Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu?"

He trotted forward,

"Are you Professor Lu? I am Arthur Hadley from Yale."

Lu Shi had no impression of this name.

Goodman next to him lowered his voice,

"President. President of Yale."

Lu Shi was a little confused.

Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia are preparing to establish the Ivy League.

Therefore, the news that he went to the United States was known to Columbia University, which meant that the other three schools also knew it.

But Yale is clearly in New Haven, Wisconsin.

Why did Brother Hadley block people in front of Harvard?

Very outrageous.

Lu Shi shook hands with the other party in confusion.

"Principal Hadley, you..."

Hadley didn't wait for him to finish speaking before he smiled like a spring breeze,

"Professor Lu, don't rush to get down to business. You have traveled all the way from London to New York and then to Cambridge. You must be very tired, right? I have booked the best hotel for you in Boston. Let's take the train back first. .”

After saying that, he grabbed Lu Shi.

Lu Shi was even more confused.

"But I have already sent a telegram to Harvard and will be visiting today to discuss the implementation of the impact factor."

Hadley said: "Harvard has gone too far! How can a genius like Professor Lu let you come in person? They should be the ones visiting!"

The weather is so hot,

Lu Shi was so flattered by the other party that he shuddered.

"hiss……"

He gasped.

Suddenly, an old voice came from not far away: "Arthur, what a rare visitor~"

Go by the sound,

I saw Harvard President Charles William Eliot walking slowly.

Behind him were several professors,

and Franklin Roosevelt and his fellow photographers at the Harvard newspaper, The Crimson.

Click——

Along with the sound of shooting, the photographer pressed the shutter.

Roosevelt was very satisfied.

"You will find opportunities to take pictures."

"of course,"

The photographer said proudly: "I have already thought of a name for the photo. It is called "Lead" or "Smell of Gunpowder". They are both pretty good. After all, we have been fighting with Yale for decades~"

Elliot stepped forward;

"Professor Lu, long time no see."

He shook hands with Lu Shi in a gentlemanly manner, then looked sideways at Hadley,

"Arthur, I heard that you have booked a hotel for yourself in Boston. It should be too late to rush to the train station now~"

The scene was full of gunpowder.

Lu Shi also understood,

These two brothers are probably trying to compete for their "beauty".

In the last "Global University Rankings", Yale, Harvard's old rival, was ranked even lower. This time it will definitely want to win back the impact factor.

Although both schools are liberal arts schools, they still have strengths and weaknesses in different majors.

And journals follow the majors,

The journals they publish must also have their own tendencies.

Lu Shi suddenly felt that one head was as big as two heads.

Unexpectedly, this matter was more troublesome than imagined.

He coughed lightly,

"Well, let's go in first."

However,

Hadley: Stare—

Elliot: Stare—

Still exchanging fire with sight.

Lu Shi had to raise his voice and said, "Everyone, let's go to the campus."

These words finally brought the two principals back to their senses.

Elit said: "Please."

Then, let the door open.

A large group of people walked toward the school in a mighty manner.

Because the expansion construction site is right next to it, the Harvard campus was made gray and dirty by the blown sand.

The Crimson photographer even had to cover his lens with his sleeve.

However, this also has advantages,

At least on the road, Elliot and Hadley couldn't open their mouths to argue.

Just like this, we entered the main building and arrived at the conference room without saying anything.

As soon as he entered the door, Eliot joked: "Arthur, you have entered the dragon's lair alone."

Hadley shrugged;

"It seems that you also know that Harvard is an evil dragon."

The two started again.

Lu Shi's mind was running rapidly along the way. He had already thought of a countermeasure and said, "Two principals, let me first introduce to you the specific algorithm of the impact factor."

After saying that, he waved to Tesla,

The latter understood, took out the piece of paper with the formula on it, and placed it in the middle of the conference table.

Everyone present is smart, so of course they can understand.

Hadley pondered,

"This evaluation system is relatively objective. However, with the size of the current academic circle, it simply cannot support the number of papers."

He also discovered this beauty point.

Elliot laughs,

"You also said it is the 'current academic circle'. In the future, as long as a virtuous cycle is formed, excellent journals will naturally stand out. We just need a temporary evaluation standard now, such as weight."

Hadley sneered and didn't answer.

He was like a mirror in his mind,

The so-called weight, in the final analysis, is a man-made standard, and there will definitely be some tricks in it.

As long as it is done well and a certain journal has an advantage, there will be a spiral in which the strong will become stronger and the weak will become weaker.

Eliot and Hadley looked at each other,

"..."

"..."

They are all old fools, no one can deceive anyone.

The atmosphere at the scene was a bit colder.

Tesla is easy,

Because no matter how these schools compete, the top journal in the United States must be "Science".

The ultimate target of AAAS is Nature and Great Britain.

Lu Shi said: "Principal Elliott is right, we need to determine the weightings fairly, justly and openly. Therefore, my idea is to set up a committee just like the Nobel Prize and invite experts from all fields from around the world. Experts discuss it."

As soon as these words came out, everyone present straightened their bodies.

When reviewing the "Global University Rankings", they had already guessed that it would have an extremely huge impact.

But that's just a guess after all, I haven't really experienced it.

It was not until after a year of fermentation that each school conducted two recruitments that they realized how important this ranking is.

And now, something similar is happening before us,

We must hurry up!

Hadley mused: "How are committee seats going to be created?"

Elliot also nodded,

"Yes, that's important."

Lu Shi said nothing.

He knew very well that in front of the two brothers, he would try not to express his opinions to avoid being considered biased.

Moreover, there is no need for him to express his position at all.

Anyway, the two of them will quarrel among themselves.

Hadley curled his lips at Eliot and said, "Old Charles, is it enough for you to occupy one seat at Harvard?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow;

"How do you say this?"

Hadley said: "We want to build the Ivy League. Harvard wants to occupy more seats in the executive office of the alliance. Three other schools have admitted it. The same is true for the executive office of AAAS. Harvard has the most seats. What's the matter? You want to eat more wherever you go. How much do you want to occupy? That’s a bad habit!”

Eliot whispered: "Harvard has that strength!"

As soon as this statement came out, all the professors also agreed.

"That's right! Harvard has that strength!"

"Well said, principal!"

“Our seats are earned through academic research!”

…

The atmosphere was warm.

Click click click——

The photographer of "The Crimson" pressed the shutter frequently.

Eliot was proud,

Thought,

It is indeed our home stadium!

Harvard rises!

He became more confident and said slyly: "Arthur, hasn't your school always been conservative and opposed to reform? The implementation of the elective system and credit system was even later than that of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Why do you start doing it now? Did you go against your ancestor’s decision?”

Hadley couldn't help but blush after hearing this.

Yale is indeed very conservative;

At the beginning of the 19th century, the entire United States believed that university curriculum should focus on practical subjects, and many colleges and universities in the eastern United States established practical subjects.

Yale stayed still and even started to "reverse" and issued the famous "Yale Report".

The report strongly affirms the important value of humanistic education, which focuses on classical subjects, and excludes practical scientific education, claiming that "nothing is more practical than good theory, and nothing is more useful than humanistic education."

The "Global University Rankings" and the journal's impact factor are both very pioneering reforms.

Hadley narrowed his eyes,

"Charles, you underestimate Yale people too much! We are never afraid of reform as long as we are sure that the path is correct!"

He took a deep breath,

“It is our duty to restore Yale’s glory!”

This was said with great force,

All the Harvard professors in the conference room fell silent.

The scene was like Zhuge Liang's verbal battle with the Confucians.

Eliot said, "Arthur, I'm afraid you're just being nice."

Hadley snorted coldly,

"Say? We are obviously already practicing it. For example, by accepting foreign students from the Qing Dynasty, Yale has trained a great engineer - Zang Tianyou, you..."

Lu Shi cleared his throat,

"It should be Zhan. Zhan Tianyou."

Hadley immediately turned to Lu Shi and said in surprise: "You know him? He is the pride of our school! His engineering teacher Mrs. Rosseau also praised him full of praise, saying that the railways he designed have benefited countless people."

Lu Shi was curious,

"It turns out that Mr. Zhan's teacher is a lady."

Hadley laughed;

"It is indeed a lady. We at Yale were the first school in the United States to hire female lecturers."

Elliot:! ! !

Cursing secretly in my heart,

Hadley is obviously trying to get close!

Mentioning Zhan Tianyou must be intentional.

Calling someone by the wrong last name may even be a deliberate attempt to act silly and cute!

Eliot's mind was racing, thinking about which Qing students were studying at Harvard, and at the same time he winked at the professors.

As a result, those professors were very embarrassed.

It’s really unexpected.

Harvard was as anxious as ants on a hot pot.

Lu Shi saw it in his eyes and secretly admired Hadley.

At the same time, I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart.

Finally, I can borrow a donkey from Poxia.

He said: "It seems that Yale is indeed not as conservative as the outside world reports. As an enterprising school, I believe it can be fair, just and open. In this case, your school must have a spot on the committee."

Hadley opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

As a result, Lu Shi turned to Eliot again,

"There's one at Harvard too, how about that?"

In terms of academic research, Harvard is definitely the strongest in the United States.

But socializing has been a complete failure this time.

Eliot could only accept,

"certainly."

The president has spoken like this, and other Harvard professors can only agree.

"One seat, pretty good."

"Professor Lu is fair, just and open, and the seat allocation is reasonable."

"Leave a way for journals from other schools to survive~"

…

I just pinched my nose and admitted it.

Hadley's lips curled up,

They all say:

"

Princeton directors take charge,

The president of Harvard,

Yale professors call the shots.

"

Yale has always been run by professors, which makes him a relatively weak president, and he has to use some tricks to implement anything.

Now it seems that it is not all bad.

At least this time, the powerful Harvard was successfully brought to the same starting line.

Hadley thought of that heroic statement again:

Rebuilding Yale’s glory,

It is our duty to do so!

He shrugged defiantly at Eliot,

"Old Charles, if I go back to the train station now, can I catch the last train?"

Elliot clenched his fists in anger,

He ignored the other party, turned to Lu Shi, and said, "Professor Lu, I have arranged a dormitory for you. It is a single-family villa. You will live there for the next few days."

Lu Shi thanked him: "Thank you, Principal Elliot."

Elliot added: "Also, there will be an interview with The Crimson Newspaper later. Can you..."

Of course Lu Shi would cooperate with this kind of thing.

"no problem."

Elliot's mood improved a lot, and he chatted with Lu Shi for a few more words, then said goodbye and left the conference room.

As soon as he went out, he looked at the professors around him.

"what happened?"

The professors lowered their heads;

"..."

"..."

"..."

No one spoke.

Eliot ordered: "You all take action, count the Qing court graduates in various majors, and build a wall of honor! Those who have photos will post photos, and those who don't will post scientific research results! Now! Immediately! Immediately!"

The professors responded with a bang and prepared to leave.

As a result, Elliot waved again,

"Come back! Come back everyone!"

The professors are back.

Eliot pondered,

Because of "Upside Down", colleges and universities across the United States do not exclude Chinese people.

But after all, there is the Chinese Exclusion Act, so it is not good to do it too blatantly.

What's more, being so sincerely courteous to Lu Shi might have the opposite effect.

Elliott said: "Don't just look for graduates of the Qing court. Count all the graduates from all countries and put them all on the wall of honor. We must be fair, just and open."

He felt that his status was much higher.