Universities often spend copious resources and time to predict which applicants are most likely to excel as academics and researchers. Now, the respected scientific journal Oikos has published a study showing that beer drinking among scientists may be the most reliable measure of whether they will be Darwins or Duds.
The Oikos study is based on the work of Dr. Tomas Grim (yes, beer lovers his name is Grim), the author of the study and an ornithologist at Palacky University in the Czech Republic. The New York Times reports:
Publication did not simply drop off among the heaviest drinkers. Instead, scientific performance steadily declined with increasing beer consumption across the board, from scientists who primly sip at two or three beers over a year to the sort who average knocking back more than two a day.
Some scientists are suggesting that this could be a Czech anomaly but it seems to correlate more broadly. The question is whether universities will adopt the “Bud Light = Pub Light” equation and try to trap faculty candidates at lunch to watching if they order a Sam Adams.
This can be confusing for academics who have used BARS as a predictor of academic success for students for years. For discussion of behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS), click here.
For the full story, click here.