Category Archives: Funding

University Science As Shopping Mall?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Despite government-funded academic science having far more economic activity than the major U.S. sports leagues combined, Paula Stephan is one of the few (perhaps only) economists to look at that economic sector. Recently, Stephan has argued that government-funded academic science … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Jobs, NIH, NSF | 1 Comment

Forget Genomics, Just Do the Genetics That We Know How to Do: The Rape Kit Edition

Posted on March 19, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

As genomics becomes cheaper and more accessible, the torrent of articles debating and discussing its effects on human health will only increase. My contribution to this genre is to argue that microbial genomics is also critical, and, in the short … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Genetics, Genomics, Rape | Comments Off on Forget Genomics, Just Do the Genetics That We Know How to Do: The Rape Kit Edition

NIH Cuts and Science Job Losses

Posted on March 7, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Jeremy Berg lays out what the failure to replace the sequestration cuts at NIH means: Also, based on previous years, we can reason that about 30 percent of those who would have been funded without the sequester would have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Funding, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, NIH | 2 Comments

Now We Will Lose Fungal Resources: The Infrastructure Hits Just Keep Coming

Posted on February 13, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

The next time you hear someone talk about how important science is, you might want to remind them that you get what you pay for (boldface mine): This morning brought another piece of bad news. This concerns a valuable resource … Continue reading →

Posted in A Fungus Among Us, Funding, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, NSF | 1 Comment

Heard It Through the Grapevine: More Scientific Infrastructure Problems

Posted on February 10, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Our usual plaint about the state of research infrastructure: One of the ridiculous things about many depictions of science in TV and movies is the notion that there’s this huge infrastructure: shiny labs (which are always neat and spacious), high-tech … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Booze, Funding, Plants | Comments Off on Heard It Through the Grapevine: More Scientific Infrastructure Problems

Yes, Our Scientific Infrastructure Is Still Fragile: The Frog Toxin Edition

Posted on February 3, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

A frustrating thing about most popularizations of science is that people conclude it’s stronger than it really is: One of the ridiculous things about many depictions of science in TV and movies is the notion that there’s this huge infrastructure: … Continue reading →

Posted in Froggies, Funding | 1 Comment

Some Relief For Scientific Funding

Posted on January 15, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Following yesterday’s depressing report about funding rates, we come across this synopsis of what the latest budget deal means for scientific research: While the appropriations bill gives the National Institutes of Health $1 billion more than what it got under … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, NIH, NSF | Comments Off on Some Relief For Scientific Funding

In My NIH Funding World, R01 Grants Are Getting Crushed

Posted on January 14, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

While funding might seem like a boring part of science, remember that all the cool stuff that gets mangled in the popular press you read about online and so on costs money. When there’s less money, there’s a good chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, I For One Welcome Our Austerity Overlords, NIH, We're Really Fucked | 2 Comments

Is Open Access/Science the Biggest Problem We Face? (How About a Different Emphasis For 2014?)

Posted on January 3, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Before the new year, there was a bit of a backlash against boycotting the glamour magz, spurred by Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman’s call to avoid said glamour magz. I like open access and alternative publishing models–hell, I would just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Jobs | 4 Comments

At Least One Prominent Scientist Understands What the Funding Crunch Means For Junior Researchers

Posted on January 1, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

This is from an interview by James Fallows of Eric Lander (boldface mine): JF: Any researcher can find ways to use extra money. But in genomics now, how significant is research funding as a limiting factor on progress toward therapies? … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding | 1 Comment