Design as Research or is it Design Research

Today I attended two Midterm presentations given by my Thesis Advisee's and left with the question; 'why does the word design need the word research behind it to justify a scholarly pursuit?'

Design by itself is an act of research due to the process of trial and error. So what happens when the words are flipped, Research Design. I think that might focus the goal better. It is an attempt to further investigate the way we as humans have solved our architectural problems of the past and how the contemporary world unravels our past solutions. When I think of it that way then proofs are needed to establish an unraveled 'tradition.'

Time moves forward and with it new problems arise. Meeting new problems with 'traditional' systems as they solved yesterdays issues might keep buildings standing but not solving problems. If biological science is correct then micro evolution will eventually 'create' a distinctly different type of species. It is the daily step by step grind of small shifts that the lens of time magnifies to see typological change.

So what is the difference between Design, Design Research or Design as Research???????????

Semantics?