Everyday Scientist

From “publish to perish” to “patent and prosper”

July 25, 2007 at 12:35 pm | ilya | everyday science, grad life, literature, news, science community

Hey folks,

I recently came across a very interesting retrospective in the Journal of Biological Chemistry written by Howard Schachman, who’s been engaged in biochemistry research in Berkeley for over 50 years.

Schachman lays out the changing nature of research and academic life as he’s observed them over the past 50+ years. I, for one, am always interested to read about how things have changed and where they’re heading. Here’s a particularly interesting quote:

In 1953, while McCarthyism was rampant, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began screening grantees. Based on FBI reports, Oveta Culp Hobby, as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) in the Eisenhower administration, interceded and ordered the cancellation of grants to Linus Pauling and other prominent scientists.

Read on to find out what happened! I guess that president Rove’s clumsy meddling isn’t as bad as it can get.