Had a chat with Dr Tergaonkar from IMCB yesterday. The theme was basically the amount of time needed in his kind of research, and whether Singapore was willing/able to afford that sort of time.
He remarked that research in the biological sciences is different from Physics or Chem research due to the nature of biological systems. You can use test subjects such as mice for a model of what happens in the human body, occurring over a significantly shorter time scale, but it still takes time for, say, tumour growth in a mouse's body. The result - long hours in the laboratory with certainly no guarantee of whether or not the current research would reap rewards (and not much pay to show for it either).
And so it seems that researchers live only for that one eureka moment, and that's the only thing keeping them going. 3 to 5 years of work for one 5-page research paper. It's beginning to sound a lot like being a doctor, but I should reserve my judgment for now. Go for one of these attachments first, then decide. He also addressed my concerns over Singapore's research climate - the government support, proximity from research centres and ease of obtaining raw materials. He seemed genuinely impressed with the Biopolis, given Singapore's limited resources. At the same time, he expressed concern over the kind of scientists that come out of Singapore's education system, or even the kind of people at the top for that matter - that we're all results-oriented and seeking quick, if not instant gratification. When I asked him whether Singapore was willing to give its scientists that kind of support, he merely remarked that it was too early to tell - the Biopolis was but 5 years old - adding that he had trust in the scientific advisory body. But my concern still remains - will the people at the helm actually listen?
I also dropped by at the Learning Lab yesterday to enquire about the status of my internship application. The reply I was met with: "Did your friend tell you the proper way to go about doing this?" Way to go learning lab. I go all the way there just to get this crap. A classic example of a money-making venture that got too much success for its own good.
He remarked that research in the biological sciences is different from Physics or Chem research due to the nature of biological systems. You can use test subjects such as mice for a model of what happens in the human body, occurring over a significantly shorter time scale, but it still takes time for, say, tumour growth in a mouse's body. The result - long hours in the laboratory with certainly no guarantee of whether or not the current research would reap rewards (and not much pay to show for it either).
And so it seems that researchers live only for that one eureka moment, and that's the only thing keeping them going. 3 to 5 years of work for one 5-page research paper. It's beginning to sound a lot like being a doctor, but I should reserve my judgment for now. Go for one of these attachments first, then decide. He also addressed my concerns over Singapore's research climate - the government support, proximity from research centres and ease of obtaining raw materials. He seemed genuinely impressed with the Biopolis, given Singapore's limited resources. At the same time, he expressed concern over the kind of scientists that come out of Singapore's education system, or even the kind of people at the top for that matter - that we're all results-oriented and seeking quick, if not instant gratification. When I asked him whether Singapore was willing to give its scientists that kind of support, he merely remarked that it was too early to tell - the Biopolis was but 5 years old - adding that he had trust in the scientific advisory body. But my concern still remains - will the people at the helm actually listen?
I also dropped by at the Learning Lab yesterday to enquire about the status of my internship application. The reply I was met with: "Did your friend tell you the proper way to go about doing this?" Way to go learning lab. I go all the way there just to get this crap. A classic example of a money-making venture that got too much success for its own good.
posted by kangwen at 5:03 PM
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