untitled

sometimes not very well, but it is hoped that

this perception will soon change. Several fac-

ulty interviewed expressed feelings not of

alienation from their research colleagues, but

more of isolation and feeling left out of main-

stream research. They fear that they will be

perceived as doing minor league science.

A few years ago at a Keystone Symposium

I found myself standing in the middle of a sea

of posters where all kinds of interesting exper-

iments were being presented, but I had no

poster of my own. I had the most profound

feeling that I would never be able to do this

kind of work again. Donald Kimmel of

Davidson College in Davidson, North

Carolina, who made the transition from

Brown to Davidson in 1971, comments, “I had

to change my research completely when I

came to Davidson, to adjust to what was avail-

able and to what the students could do.”

Lack of name recognition can also lead to a

feeling of isolation. At a national meeting,

after a quick look at my badge, the first com-

ment I get is, “Charleston, South Carolina,

what a lovely town.” I agree, except that I’m

in West Virginia. I have developed a sense of

humor and learned to carry a map. Karen Lee

from the University of Pittsburgh at

Johnstown is frequently asked, “is that where

they had the flood?” She claims to get sym-

pathy, but that is not what she is after.

A problem that many scientists face is dis-

cipline isolation. In a four-person depart-

ment, one colleague might be a marine biolo-

gist, one an environmental biologist, another

an invertebrate physiologist and another a

biomedically oriented cell biologist. “You just

have to make your own rules,” notes Cruz. A

mentor may not be as near as the next office,

but as near as the Internet instead.

Many departments have never dealt with

bench-type cell biologists before and all are

having to make adjustments. Many of the

older faculty at smaller schools were field

biologists who gathered their data in the sum-

mer and crunched it for the rest of the year.

This is assuming they did any research at all;

many did not. This dichotomy may inevitably

lead to tension between modern and tradi-

tional scientists in the same department.

Finding a New Collegiality

How does one make research in a small

school work? Adapt to your environment,

find a way to change what must be changed,

compromise where possible, ask for help,

have extreme patience... and win the lottery.

Asking for help is possibly the most critical

advice, but it is often the most difficult thing

to do. Reviving old research ties can open

doors ranging from full-scale collaborations

to simply borrowing equipment. Try to make

new contacts with people you admire.

92 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

A mentor may not be as near as

the next office, but as near as

the Internet instead.

A good scientist shouldn’t care

where you work as long as your

work is creative and good.

Many of the older faculty at

smaller schools were field

biologists who gathered their

data in the summer and

crunched it for the rest of

the year.