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Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries
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To: elmatador who wrote (31886)4/20/2003 12:18:58 PM
From: Moominoid  Read Replies (2) of 74559
 
This research may have interesting implications regarding whether life forms can travel in space. But they didn't mention that in the article.

The way science funding works is like this:

1. I'm really interested in whether species can transfer between continents in dustclouds. May include algae, protozoans, bacteria etc. I am interested in implications for evolution etc.

2. I need money to go to the Carribean to do some investigations of what is falling down from Africa and for measuring, testing equipment, graduate assistants etc.

3. NSF tell me that on my grant application I must show "relevance to society". So I say "maybe diseases could spread this way" maybe there would be a cycle in diseases related to the weather.

4. (even if I don't need funding, my university tells me I have to apply for it because they use the overhead component to run their finances. And if I want tenure I had better pay attention).

5. The NSF review panel say "very topical subject - transmission of diseases" and give me money.

6. I do my research and get a paper accepted for publication.

7. The journal's PR people think: "This is a good story that will get media exposure then libraries will think this is an important journal and won't cancel their subscription."

8. The university's PR people think: " This is a good story that will get our university attention and remind our alumni exist and maybe they will give us some money and besides our job is to publicize this stuff".

9. The reporter thinks: "this is an easy story: I just need to talk to the one scientist - maybe I can just print his press release and put my name on it and my boss will think I did some work :)".

10. The media starts running with the story and makes it more sensational to get attention.

11. Public gets scared....

David
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