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A comment on Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’ of 1919. Parent comment

Re:Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’... by semi-extrinsic on Saturday November 26, 2016 @12:57PM (#13044948)
Also, as someone in fluid dynamics, I find it interesting that this student project is featured in the NY Times. I mean, it's not trivial, but it's certainly less work and less interesting/innovative than e.g. what the average PhD student produces.

Would it have been in the NY Times if someone at a less prestigious university, led by a less well-connected advisor, had given this project? Somehow I doubt it.

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Re:Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’... by davidf18 on Saturday November 26, 2016 @01:53PM (#13045270)
It paints a bizarre picture of people running from and being killed by waves of gooey, molten sugar, hence a story of interest to the general public, yet one based in science and engineering.
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Re:Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’... by bcaulfield on Tuesday November 29, 2016 @07:09PM (#13067358)
There's an old saying in journalism "if it bleeds it leads." Holds true even in science coverage, and even at the New York Times.
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Re:Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’... by csours on Saturday November 26, 2016 @01:40PM (#13045197)
Its also a popular culture reference. Some grad student somewhere is making a discovery about paint that will eventually make Behr a lot of money, but we won't hear about it until the commercials, and maybe not even then.
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Re:Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly ‘Tsunami of Molasses’... by aaron695 on Sunday November 27, 2016 @03:25AM (#13048302)
> but it's certainly less work and less interesting/innovative than e.g. what the average PhD student produces.

It kinda sounds like you think work alone should be rewarded rather than outcome?

If PHD students create useless reports after a lot of work then that's their issue. Creating busywork to justify a PHD seems a flawed process.

If PHD students create scientifically great reports then that has no place in the NYT, it's place is in scientific magazines.

If no one has modeled this before (very surprising if true) then this is very interesting news, and pretty good science to boot.

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