re: Re: Food irradiation info

["rad tech" <Rad=Tech%SS%DFCI@EYE.DFCI.HARVARD.EDU>]

At 15:49 PM 3/18/96, Scott O. Schwahn, CHP wrote:

>Makes me start to think... when does our professional correspondence become
>a way for students to avoid having to do the valuable research associated
>with completing such an assignment?  Is an internet search (i.e., consulting
>competent professionals _personally_) a reasonable substitute for
>researching publications?  Is such activity avoiding needless "weeding
>through" information that is unimportant for the final report [...]
                                          
I don't usually get involved in the RADSAFE discussions, but I have to offer 
my opinion, for the benefit of all the students out there.  I think Scott 
Schwahn, CHP may be a bit too hard on SSG Michael Williamson here, and 
perhaps he forgets what it was like being a student himself.  The request was 
for some references regarding food irradiation to write an English paper, 
*NOT* a thesis, and I don't see anything wrong with him asking for help.  
Similarly, I don't see anything wrong if the professionals out there want to 
help.

I can recall many times in school when there just wasn't much out there for 
resources when it came to writing a paper, especially on specific radiation 
topics, and sometimes there is no choice but to ask for help.  RADSAFE has 
many knowledgable people on it who could help if they wanted to help.  What 
good is it to be a professional in this field if you don't welcome the 
opportunity to help people?  

In this case, asking for references on RADSAFE will probably only partially 
help, and probably will not provide all the references that it would take to 
write an English paper.  Michael will still probably have to find more 
references by "weeding through" other unimportant information.  But at least 
we can point him in the proper direction.  So in my opinion, if anyone out 
there wants to help Michael Williamson with his English paper, I think they 
should.  

Thanks for letting me put my two cents in.

 Steven J. Alford, M.S.       
 Radiation Safety Officer
 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
 Boston, Mass.