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Category Archives: Policy
How Do We Break This Cycle?
Chemistry Jobs Roundtable. Day 4 December 16, 2010 Talk about a couple really tough acts to follow. CJ, Leigh and Paul set a really high standard with their posts, and reader response has been phenomenal. Introduction As CJ put it so eloquently in Monday’s post: “we are the grist”. PIs advance their own careers by taking on as many students as they can. They do this to maximize the amount of papers they can publish, which they need in order to get that next grant. Rinse. Spit. Repeat. Collectively, we produce PhDs while neglecting to even take into consideration what we’re going to do with them once they have their degrees. But really, research money is what all PIs are after. It is the way we advance our careers. (We’re having a discussion right now in my department about tenure and promotion. The biggest point of contention is over research … Continue reading
MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY!!
Chemistry and Tech Job Policy December 13, 2010 Just a quick note: This Monday, ScienceGeist is going to be part of a roundtable discussion on the state of jobs in the chemical industry and academia, and by default, the things we talk about will be 100% applicable to any employment in any technical arena. The schedule is as follows: Monday: Chemjobber will discuss why the current view (espoused by the President’s Scientific Advisory Council and many other agencies and CEO’s) is wrong. The background for this post will be an article by Beryl Benderly. So, do your homework and check it out! Tuesday: Leigh Krietsch Boerner will discuss over at her blog on CENtral whether or not we are training more chemists in PhD programs than we actually need to be. I’m sure a lot of our readers have strong opinions on this one. Wednesday: Paul Bracher will give his … Continue reading
Posted in Basic Science, Implementation, Policy, Technology
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SpaceX and Arsenic
Bad for NASA(?) Good for science(!) December 9, 2010 We’ve had a lot of NASA in the news recently, and not necessarily for things that NASA is/should be happy about. I want to get one thing straight from the outset of this post. NASA is one of the finest drivers of science/engineering/innovation that the United States has ever sponsored. They continue to produce unmatched science and promising young scientists and engineers (many of whom I personally know and completely admire). However, one of NASA’s perceived missions is that it is around to do the completely impossible (note: this is the my opinion of the public perception of NASA). NASA is supposed to go to the moon. NASA is supposed to give us the Mars rovers. NASA is supposed to do things that we can only imagine. The public face of NASA today seems to show an organization that is about … Continue reading
Posted in Basic Science, Implementation, Policy, Technology
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Step on in to the science cafe
What can we do for you? November 15, 2010 Carl Zimmer wrote a feature for the New York Times Science section recently titled, “Voices: What’s Next in Science.” Well, that’s certainly a big question. Zimmer interviewed ten scientists from various fields (space science, conservation, game design, ocean science, climate change, genomics, engineering, neuroscience, biotechnology, and mathematics). Their responses are very directed and specific (as you might expect their comments to be … they are scientists for heaven’s sake). Actually, I have a feeling that Zimmer pressed them to be concrete. It’s a great read. And, I am always fascinated when the world’s top scientists are talking about where they think the future of research is headed. Taking off on a somewhat related theme, one of last week’s biggest topics in the science-interweb-bloviating world (which you guys are sure to know that I am a huge fan of) is the degree … Continue reading
Time to fall back
Have your internal clocks changed yet November 9, 2010 I catch the bus to the train station each morning for work. I usually get to the train at right around 6:45am. When I arrive, there are a couple of things that are the same day-in and day-out. First, it’s dark. Like, I should still be sleeping dark. Like, why am I even out of bed right now dark. Like, it’s hard to imagine that my daughters woke me up an hour ago dark. Second, I can leisurely make my way up to the train. There is no rush. There is no crowding. There is no fight through the turnstiles. And, third, there is always someone passing out the free local newspapers. (This is great because I get my sudoku and crossword fix everyday on the train). Yesterday almost all of that changed. First it wasn’t pitch dark out. It didn’t … Continue reading
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Impassioned by my fellows…
WOW October 29, 2010 I was fully planning to post this Friday’s article on the upcoming mid-term elections, but my blog-partner-in-crime, Matt Hartings, just did an amazing job to rouse us all from our indifferent slumber, to invigorate our sense of patriotic duty, and to remind us (scientists and non-scientists alike) of the powerful tools in hand. We can make a difference! Also, I’d like to draw attention to the website, Scientists and Engineers For America, for more info on science policy. (Thanks to our reader, PlatoMolloy, for the link!) Again… VOTE! Vote Smart! Vote early! Vote Often! VOTE! Cheers~gk
Posted in Basic Science, Policy, Uncategorized
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Informed and impassioned citizens
Make your voice be heard. Vote! October 28, 2010 I’ll be the first to admit that scientists don’t always make the best advocates. Seems like there might be a couple of reasons for this. First, there is the (at times accurate) generalization that scientists are a little socially awkward. Second, by our nature, most scientists operate on the principal that the facts and evidence will win out. This is how our professional lives are informed, and, until something drastic happens, I think that most of us get complacent and take for granted that everyone else acts this way too. Third, we have this unspoken understanding with non-scientists. We’re kind of like the ugly animals at the zoo. We’re kept isolated (by our own acquiescence). And people only stop by to pay attention to us when we’ve done something interesting. Truth be told, most of us like it this way. It … Continue reading
Posted in Implementation, Policy, Uncategorized
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Science Editorial Musings…
Well now, that was a surprise! October 15, 2010 …apologies for the lack of pictures… When I set out to write this article, I was first interested in a status update I saw on Facebook a few days ago. The frivolity of social networking aside, I am often made aware of quite interesting news, stories and web videos via this medium. Most recently I was alerted of an editorial in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature. I chose to look more closely… The title of this article was “Science scorned” and it was published online on September 9, 2010 (doi:10.1038/467133a). This is a hugely left-leaning piece that articulates the “growing anti-science streak on the American right that could have tangible societal and political impacts on many fronts — including regulation of environmental and other issues and stem-cell research”, warns that “President Barack Obama’s promise to ‘restore science to its rightful place’ … Continue reading
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Stem Cell Trials
Wait and see October 13, 2010 Stem cells have been approved for study in humans by the US Food and Drug Administration. The first patient to be part of this study was injected with a stem cell cocktail (emphasis mine) on Monday morning (October 11th). In my brief search, I only found a handful of media outlets covering this story (here and here). The FDA gave the license for this study to Geron, a Silicon Valley biotech company. They are specifically looking to see if their stem cell therapies will help patients who have had spinal cord injuries regain feeling/motor-control/other functions. The first subject of the study is a patient who is partially paralyzed as the result of a recent spinal cord injury. The benefits of stem cell therapies have been boisterously argued over the past several years. (Of course, all of you know that already, ’cause you’re up on … Continue reading
Advocating for Science
My first forays into the seedy world of politics October 12, 2010 The other week I was scrolling through our twitter feed when I came across a posting about a Senate briefing related to investing in young researchers. I thought, “Hey! I’m a young researcher.” “I live in DC.” “I write on a website where I talk about being interested in policy.” “Maybe I should show up to this thing!” The briefing, which was sponsored by Research!America and the American Chemical Society, featured a panel of two scientific researchers (Raquel Lieberman – whom I know from my grad school days at Northwestern – and Marshall Shuler), an economics researcher (Iain Cockburn), and a full-time science advocate (Meryl Comer). Dr. Hartings goes to Washington. Image credit: visitingdc.com There were three things that struck me about the event that I’d like to share with you. First. I was intrigued by the research … Continue reading
