Postdocs

[Julia Frugoli]

>To:            womenbio at net.bio.net
>From:          cjfuller at mindspring.com (C.J. Fuller)
>Subject:       Re: Postdocs
>Date:          Thu, 14 Aug 1997 08:07:17 -0500


(LARGE SNIP)

>Amongst my group of friends and colleagues in nutrition, the consensus 
>is
>that our postdoc experiences may have made us marketable for academic
>positions, but at what cost?  First we put our lives on hold for our 
>PhD,
>then during our postdoc, now until we get tenure.  There may not be 
>much
>life left to put on hold.
>


I think you just touched on a dark secret area that most scientists I 
know, of both genders, would like to avoid.  Over several beers at 
meetings far from home, I've heard many people, from post-doc level to 
nationally recognized tenured faculty, admit to this.  But never for 
more than a momemt, and never in broad daylight.  It's not unique to 
science-take a look at the lawyers deciding to become high school 
teachers because they want a life (which I see as a positive step).  I 
just have a harder time seeing talented scientific minds peddling 
software and stocks because they want a life as a good thing for society 
in general.  I agree with Bart that the problem lies in the way science 
is perceived and funded in the US, but more funding without an overhaul 
in how we as a scientific community define a "good scientist" won't do 
anything.

An interesting exercise-make 2 lists.  On one write down all the 
qualities you think define a good scientist.  On another write down the 
qualities you think define a successful scientist.  How many overlap?  
Are any mutually exclusive?  Now try a list of what in your opinion 
makes a good person and ask the same questions.  Could be a revelation 
of sorts.

And now, back to that manuscript:)
Julia Frugoli
Dartmouth College

visiting grad student at
Texas A&M University
Department of Biological Sciences
College Station, TX 77843
409-845-0663
FAX 409-847-8805

"Evil is best defined as militant ignorance."
																										Dr. M. Scott Peck