Is Science Dying?

My thoughts on a recent living room salon we co-hosted with the Global CoLab Network in the Washington, D.C. area will be posted here in the next few days. 

Update:

On November 29, 2016 ReImagine Science and the Global CoLab Network co-hosted a living room salon with the attendees listed (see side-bar).  

The openness and candor of everyone in the room struck a chord with me. What I heard from the scientists in the room is that current institutions of science are not likely to take dramatic measures necessary to rescue the current generation of young PhDs. There may be hope for the future, but there is also, it seems, a desire for life to go back to a time when successes were more attainable, when there was more ready support and open doors. 

But the radical reboot needed to reimagine what we can do with our current scientifically trained Ph.D. cohorts looking for stable, palatable work that fully utilizes their breadth and depth of training and knowledge is not in the works. And I think they sense it.

Larry Bock, we salute you

The USA Science and Engineering Festival event, the child of the ever-exuberant, ever-approachable Larry Bock, has a beautiful tribute to this man who was a special gift to the work of Yamana Science and Engineering - now ReImagine Science.  Please watch:


http://www.usasciencefestival.org/about/larry-bock.html

Our history is deeply connected with Larry, who agreed to host our first national events as part of the USA Science and Engineering Festival in 2010 and 2012.  A simple email via the 'contact us' option on the USA Science and Engineering Festival brought a quick response:

Dear Kennan,

Thanks for your expression of interest in the USA Science and Engineering Festival in your em below.

The first step would be to organize a brief phone call.

Would you have anytime next Wednesday  around 9AM EST?

Best regards.

Larry Bock
Executive Director
USA Science & Engineering Festival
biobock@mac.com
760-8463473 

That launched a ready open-ness and generosity from a man that I did not meet in person until he opened our second USA Science and Engineering Festival event, the 2012 Science UnSummit, at the artisphere in Arlington VA.  I could email or call and he never turned me away.

Larry has set the bar high for CEOs and serial entrepreneurs....I do not think I will easily find a person as accomplished, as productive, as recognized and as busy who somehow found a way to be exceptionally supportive (for no other reason than a shared passion for the success of science) and exceedingly kind and gracious.

For that I am most grateful, Larry, and I send my greatest appreciation and admiration for you, a most honorable and inspirational instance of a human being.

~Thank you~