doing research without any formal education

pacquiao

Are there many researchers who have no formal education?

roro1neil0

few few, there would be a lot of guys with degrees or masters or phds who aren't attached to a big university that do independent stuff.

this is all re:science would be different for history or something.

do you have a field? is it physics?

pacquiao

I said no formal education.

djpbarry

pacquiao wrote: »

Are there many researchers who have no formal education?

If you're asking whether there are researchers, who lack any formal education, working in universities and research institutes, then the answer would be no, there are virtually none, if any at all.

However, if you're asking whether there exist researchers, who lack formal education, working independently, then I'm sure the answer is yes, but then I suppose it depends on how you define "researchers".

roro1neil0

pacquiao wrote: »

I said no formal education.

and my answer was a few.

who exists without formal education? have you never been to school in your life?

djpbarry

roro1neil0 wrote: »

and my answer was a few.

who exists without formal education? have you never been to school in your life?

I'm guessing when people refer to "formal education", they generally mean "third-level education".

Ostrom

I know of one lecturer in the history of Gaelic Ireland without a degree (neither graduate nor undergraduate). Authority in his field, published a number of definitive accounts of Gaelic land law, but very much the exception.

bduffy

I know of some people who were working on a research project between a local hospital and UCD who had no formal training and were analysing samples from patients. Training was limited to particular analytical instruments and sampling SOP's.
The were hired by UCD as Research Assistants.

djpbarry

bduffy wrote: »

The were hired by UCD as Research Assistants.

This is the crux - it really depends on what the OP means by "researchers".

learn

pacquiao wrote: »

Are there many researchers who have no formal education?

I am one, I did what world scientists failed to do, I discovered the perfect pedal stroke, one that does not have a dead spot area around 12 o'c. I believe that belongs to biomechanics.

djpbarry

learn wrote: »

...I discovered the perfect pedal stroke, one that does not have a dead spot area around 12 o'c.

Honestly, that sounds like something Karl Pilkington comes out with.

learn

djpbarry wrote: »

Honestly, that sounds like something Karl Pilkington comes out with.

Over the past 50 years engineers have wasted years of research time in their attempts to create equipment that could compensate in some small way for the inability to apply effective crank torque as the pedal passes between 11 and 1 o'c, such as HOUDAILLE, BIOPACE, ROTORCRANKS, L-SHAPED CRANKS and endless variations of oval shaped chain rings but all have ended in failure. The fact is, using nothing more than a simple adjustment in the use of muscles, it's possible to apply the same maximal torque to the cranks around 12 o'c as that applied around 3 o'c.

djpbarry

learn wrote: »

...it's possible to apply the same maximal torque to the cranks around 12 o'c as that applied around 3 o'c.

I'm pretty sure it isn't, the laws of physics being what they are. But anyway, I think this is probably off-topic.

learn

djpbarry wrote: »

I'm pretty sure it isn't, the laws of physics being what they are. But anyway, I think this is probably off-topic.

Of course you are sure and so are all those engineers who wasted and still continue to waste their time. A special force/vector powermeter which is at present being perfected by BrimBros here in Dublin will soon verify that my claim is genuine. Off topic maybe, but it does demonstrate that sometimes simple ideas can accomplish far more that academic degrees.

djpbarry

learn wrote: »

Of course you are sure and so are all those engineers who wasted and still continue to waste their time. A special force/vector powermeter which is at present being perfected by BrimBros here in Dublin...

Who, according to their website, are engineers.

learn wrote: »

...it does demonstrate that sometimes simple ideas can accomplish far more that academic degrees.

To be honest, it sounds to me like you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder - nobody has suggested that someone without a degree cannot come up with a good idea. Lot's of products are developed by non-scientists/engineers. But engaging in basic research and coming up with an idea or product are very different things.

But that's not the point of the discussion. It was asked whether there are (m)any people actively working as researchers (presumably within universities and/or research institutes) who have no formal training as researchers. Now, you have claimed that you are one such researcher, so I would ask you to define "researcher".

learn

djpbarry wrote: »

But that's not the point of the discussion. It was asked whether there are (m)any people actively working as researchers (presumably within universities and/or research institutes) who have no formal training as researchers. Now, you have claimed that you are one such researcher, so I would ask you to define "researcher".

I could answer that question with another one, which type? But I agree, I am a D.I.Y. experimenter.