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Author Archives: Alexander Szewczak
Fixing Big Pharma Research: Expected cost savings have to be recoverable
All too often the cost savings from efficiency improvements of various kinds are dramatically over estimated, especially when large numbers of small improvements are aggregated. Companies of all kinds (not just Pharma) often justify investments in new equipment or software … Continue reading
Posted in Fixing Big Pharma Research, Management
Tagged Business, Cost, Pharma, Pharmaceutical industry, Research, Saving
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How much science can you fit in 6 seconds?
GE’s 6 Second Science Fair has produced a really neat compilation of short videos that illustrate a wide range of scientific principles. Visit Joe Hanson’s blog for a (nearly) complete list of explanations. There’s potato batteries, antacid-propelled rockets, a Tesla … Continue reading
Late summer day on Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park
Like every photo I’ve posted so far, this was shot with an iPhone 5 and has not been imaged processed. Other cameras in my bag include a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 and a Pentax K-7 digital SLR. But, as they say, … Continue reading
Naturally fluorescent minerals at the Yale Peabody Museum
The same rocks, viewed under white light (top) and ultraviolet light (bottom). Some pretty amazing colors!
Fixing Big Pharma Research: The costs of delays need to be properly valued
For the Pharmaceutical industry, the foregone revenue created by delays in bringing a drug to market can be surprisingly high — from $50,000 to $2,000,000 per day, depending on the phase of the pipeline. Such costs are often under appreciated. … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Research
Tagged Clinical trial, Drug discovery, Pharma, Pharmaceutical industry
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Fixing Big Pharma Research: Introduction
Lots of articles and blog posts get written about the research productivity crisis in the pharmaceutical industry. A lot of Wall Street types argue that Pharma companies simply must spend less on R&D (Recently, yet another analyst called for a … Continue reading
Fun Science: Just how close was that lightning bolt?
When you hear a storm approaching, with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, did you ever wonder how far away the bad weather is? Or how close a really big lightening strike was? There’s an easy way to figure it out. … Continue reading
Tutorial: Significant Figures
New (and not so new) scientists often don’t think about how many digits, or significant figures they should include when reporting numerical data. Unless you’re using a finely calibrated instrument, most readings aren’t accurate beyond one or two percent (about two significant … Continue reading
Posted in Data Analysis, Tutorials
Tagged Average, Data Analysis, Measurement, Significant figures, Standard deviation
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Blog Content
Just a quick note for readers — this blog is brand new (obviously) and I’m still figuring out what I want to post and how to use the blog. So at least for now, there will be quite a random … Continue reading
Fun Science: The Cricket as a Thermometer
The loud crickets chirping in unison tonight reminded me of A. E. Dolbear’s observation that crickets can tell you the current temperature. According to his classic 1881 communication: T = 50 + (N-40)/4 where N is the number of field cricket … Continue reading
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