Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
10:41
Leveraging CyVerse Resources for De Novo Comparative Transcriptomics of Underserved (Non-model) Organisms
Published on: May 9, 2017
Scientific community. Soft money's hard realities.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 14, 2000
Summary
Researchers on soft money face challenges like financial insecurity and disrespect, impacting their career progression. Success in these roles requires resilience, institutional support, and financial preparedness.
Area of Science:
- Scientific Research Careers
- Academic Employment
- Grant-Funded Positions
Background:
- Researchers on soft money, funded by grants, often feel like second-class citizens.
- This employment status can lead to financial insecurity, perceived disrespect, and inadequate facilities.
Discussion:
- Despite drawbacks, soft money positions can offer autonomy from administrative tasks.
- Success in these roles necessitates strong personal resolve, departmental backing, and financial reserves.
Key Insights:
- Soft money researchers experience a dual reality of professional challenges and potential freedoms.
- Personal attributes like emotional security and resilience are crucial for navigating these careers.
Outlook:
- Future research could explore institutional strategies to better support grant-funded researchers.
- Understanding the long-term impact of soft money positions on scientific innovation is essential.
Related Concept Videos
01:32The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...
01:03Altruism
Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.
01:49Hardy-Weinberg Principle
Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.In the early 20th century,...
02:40The Scientific Method
Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
03:50The Scientific Method
Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.
01:19MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...