IP: science career horror stories

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: 21 Mar 1997 19:13:35 GMT
> From:ahale () nmsu edu (Alan Hale)
> Subject: an open letter from Alan Hale
> Organization: NMSU Astronomy
> Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
>
> An open letter to the scientists of my generation:
>
> I am Alan Hale, the co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp which, as I'm
> sure you're aware, is getting a tremendous amount of media attention
> at this time. Like I'm sure is true for many of you, I was inspired
> by the scientific discoveries and events taking place during my childhood
> to pursue a career in science only to find, after completing the rigors
> of undergraduate and graduate school, that the opportunities for us
> to have a career in science are limited at best and are which I usually
> describe as "abysmal." Based upon my own experiences, and those of you
> with whom I have discussed this issue, my personal feeling is that,
> unless there are some pretty drastic changes in the way that our society
> approaches science and treats those of us who have devoted our lives to
> making some of our own contributions, there is no way that I can, with
> a clear conscience, encourage present-day students to pursue a career
> in science. It really pains me a great deal to say something like that,
> but I feel so strongly about this that I have publicly made this
> statement at almost every opportunity I have been given.
>
> I am trying to use the media attention that is currently being focused
> upon me to raise awareness of this state of affairs, and perhaps start
> to effect those changes that will allow me to convey a more positive
> message to the next generation. So far, I'm sensing a certain reluctance
> among the media to discuss this issue, as they seem far more interested
> in items which I consider to be irrelevant and unimportant. But I intend
> to keep hammering away at this, and I'd like to believe that eventually
> some are going to sit up and take notice. I am also attempting to schedule
> meetings with some of our government leaders, to see if I can at least
> get some acknowledgement from Washington that this is a problem that needs
> to be dealt with.
>
> My reason for writing to you is to ask your help. I know that I'm not alone
> in being frustrated about the current prospects for pursuing any kind of
> decent career within science, and I'm quite sure that many of you have
> "horror stories" about your searches for decent employment that are quite
> similar to my own. I'd like to hear them. I'd especially like to hear from
> those of you who are on your second or third or fourth post-doc, or who
> have left the field as a result of the employment situation, or who have
> experienced severe personal difficulties (e.g., break-up of a marriage,
> etc.). I realize that some of these might be painful to discuss, but I'd
> like to show that we are not a bunch of impersonal statistics, but that
> we're human beings trying to make an honest living and perhaps make a
> contribution or two to society while we're at it. Speaking of statistics,
> though, if you received any information about the numbers of applicants to
> some of the positions you applied to -- which was often a 3-digit number
> in my case -- I'd like to hear that, too.
>
> Please e-mail your stories to me at ahale () nmsu edu, with a subject line of
> "horror stories" or something like that. Please let me know if you would
> prefer to remain anonymous when I share these stories with the press and
> the government. Also, please pass this message on to any of your friends
> and colleagues who might be interested in sharing their stories with me, and
> keep in mind that I would like to receive stories from as many scientific
> disciplines as possible. (Because of the amount of e-mail traffic I'm
> receiving these days, along with everything else that's going on, I probably
> won't be able to acknowledge each message individually.)
>
> Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you. Perhaps, with the
> opportunity we have before us right now, we have the chance to make a
> difference.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Alan Hale