h****u
发帖数: 480 | 1 From a 千老 at Broad Institute.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/go-to-china-young-
scientist/2011/05/19/AFCY227G_story.html
Twenty years ago, most molecular-science PhD graduates in the United
States went on to start up their own labs at universities across the
country. These labs drive innovation and keep the United States globally
competitive. Today, however, only a handful of my friends will go on to
run their own labs, though more would like to. Some go into industry or
consulting or law. Others leave science altogether.
As public funding for science and technology shrinks, it just isn’t
possible for people who want to become scientists in America to actually
become scientists. So when a friend of mine who recently received her
PhD in molecular biology asked for some career advice, the answer was
easy. Go to China, I told her.
At one time it was common for American scientists to go abroad. Usually,
they went to Europe because of better expertise and better funding. Then
the Cold War came along and jolted American policymakers into action,
producing stunning results. Public investments in science and technology
revolutionized everything from medicine to microprocessors. According to
Alan Leshner, chief executive of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, more than 50 percent of U.S. economic growth
since World War II has come from science and technology. But today, many
scientists, particularly young scientists, face a public funding
situation that is dire.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told
senators this month that for every six grant applications the agency
receives, “five of them are going to go begging.” Will this tough
funding environment force American scientists to start looking for jobs
in other countries? If they do, there won’t be any shortage of options.
The global science landscape is radically different from what it was
when I started graduate school 10 years ago. Opportunities for cutting-
edge science are sprouting in many other countries. China stands out.
But there are plenty of others. India, Brazil and Singapore built world-
class research institutes. Saudi Arabia aggressively recruits
researchers for its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
With a staggering $10 billion endowment there — larger than MIT’s —
American scientists no longer need to suffer through Boston’s endless
winters. Not to be outdone, Abu Dhabi opened the Masdar Institute of
Science and Technology in 2009. These emerging powers have a voracious
appetite for good scientists. So they’re trying to poach ours.
I spent nearly two years doing molecular biology research in China. I
have worked at the National Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology and at
Peking University in Beijing. The Chinese are serious about science.
Government spending on research and development has increased 20 percent
each year over the past decade. Even in the midst of the financial
crisis of 2008-09, China continued to bet big on science and technology.
China now spends $100 billion annually on research and development.
The
Royal Society, Britain’s national science academy, estimates that by
2013, Chinese scientists will author more articles in international
science journals than American scientists do.
Chinese labs are cutting-edge intellectual melting pots of Chinese
scientists trained in the East and in the West. This environment of
creativity and hard work will produce big breakthroughs. Chinese
universities aggressively recruit foreign scientists. The start-up
packages can be generous and in some cases comparable to what a young
faculty member receives in this country. In the future, China might be a
better option for U.S. scientists desperate to fund their research.
What does it mean for the United States if we lose some of our
scientific talent? The infusion of American ingenuity could be the
missing catalyst for a country such as China to leapfrog America in
space technology or the development of new weapons. Our own economic
success and security depended on foreign talent such as Albert Einstein,
Edward Teller (who developed the hydrogen bomb), and Werner von Braun
(who led the development of the Saturn V booster rocket that helped the
United States win the race to the moon). Would we have been as
competitive if they had decided instead to work in Russia or China?
Talented scientists in this country often fall through the cracks
because they can’t get funding. Agencies are deluged with applications
and often have to reject as many as 90 percent of the proposals they
receive. Unfortunately, the situation is likely to deteriorate further
as budget cuts limit the resources available for research. So I’ve
started encouraging my friends to think more creatively about their
careers. Go to China, I tell them. Or Singapore or Brazil or the Middle
East. If the United States can’t fund its scientific talent, find a
country that will.
Matthew Stremlau, a graduate of Haverford College and Harvard
University, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute, which is
affiliated with Harvard and MIT. | e*****r
发帖数: 379 | | e*****r
发帖数: 379 | 3 Not a 千年 at all!
Home » Bureaus/Offices Reporting Directly to the Secretary »
Policy Planning Staff » The Staff » Stremlau, Matt
Stremlau, Matt
BIOGRAPHY
Released by the Office of Policy Planning
October 2, 2008
Matt Stremlau, an American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
Fellow, joined the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff in September 2008.
Previously, he worked in the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator’s Office and
served as the Acting PEPFAR Coordinator in Lesotho.
From 2006–2007 Matt carried out stem cell research at Peking University in
Beijing, China.
Matt obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University. At Harvard
he discovered TRIM5, an antiviral protein that inhibits HIV infection of Old
World monkey cells. The discovery of TRIM5 answered the long-standing
question of why monkeys, but not humans, are resistant to HIV/AIDS. In 2007,
Matt was awarded the General Electric and Science Magazine Grand Prize for
Young Life Scientists. His articles have appeared in Science Magazine,
Nature Magazine, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the
Journal of Virology, and the L.A. Times.
In 1999 Matt was awarded a Henry Luce Fellowship and spent one year as a
visiting scientist at the National Laboratory for Agro-biotechnology in
Beijing, China.
Matt graduated from Haverford College with a B.S. in Chemistry. | h****u
发帖数: 480 | 4
2008.
From the bottom of the article:
"Matthew Stremlau, a graduate of Haverford College and Harvard
University, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute, which is
affiliated with Harvard and MIT."
Based on my limited experience on this forum, I thought postdoc = 千老。
If that understanding is incorrect, I would stand corrected and
apologize to all the postdoctoral fellows, and 千老们...
【在 e*****r 的大作中提到】
: Not a 千年 at all!
: Home » Bureaus/Offices Reporting Directly to the Secretary »
: Policy Planning Staff » The Staff » Stremlau, Matt
: Stremlau, Matt
: BIOGRAPHY
: Released by the Office of Policy Planning
: October 2, 2008
: Matt Stremlau, an American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
: Fellow, joined the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff in September 2008.
: Previously, he worked in the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator’s Office and
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