Mad Science: Real-World Horror Facing US Science
Hi! It’s Dee. Been a minute since I’ve written one of these. Mad Science is a fun exercise for me to look at how horror and other speculative genres portray people in the sciences but this time, I’m going to mention some of the real-world horror facing science in the US currently. Look forward to a normal entry for DHR’s Pride in Horror event at the very least!
One of the other reasons I created this series was because post-COVID, I was a bit shocked by the amount of anti-science sentiment along with just a general anti-intellectualism stance in the US. I may be dating myself here a bit, but I grew up in the time where STEM was pushed hard on everyone. Science was heading towards something great, and even if many of the things we hoped would come to pass still seem far away, we did see great improvement even in my own lifetime! Scientists in my area of expertise (the biomedical field) have been able to treat rare genetic diseases before in utero, the HPV vaccine has eliminated cervical cancers in fully vaccinated women in other countries, and certain diseases, like cancer or AIDS, which have not been eradicated by any means, have better prognoses.
If you are not a USian or potentially not into STEM news, maybe you haven’t noticed the current attacks on academic scientific research and the National Institutes of Health in the US of late. Several US universities have stopped accepting or have reneged on acceptances to oncoming students for their graduate work. STEM undergrad training exposes students to foundational knowledge, basic lab skills, and public speaking abilities. However, it is usually during the graduate process trainees get the chance to run their own experiments, delve deeply into research, and push the boundaries of knowledge, even if said extension is tiny in the grand scheme of everything there is to know! While not perfect and reforms are needed, academic research facilities are the primary site where trainees start their transition from students to scientists. That is not to say that citizen science can’t occur, but that large scale research benefits from the grants awarded to universities. Now, a whole graduating class or generation will lack the opportunity to gain that education. As a professor myself, I have seen students work for years to pursue research scrambling to find alternatives to a PhD. I’ve listened to their uncertainty and heartbreak over what they should do next.
What spurred this decision on? The current US administration believes that the NIH has too many funds and slashed indirect funds awards by the NIH. Study sections have been cancelled and not reconvened, meaning no current grants up for their first review or renewal can proceed. Indirect funds are awarded to the university, usually not the actual researchers carrying out the work, to help it cover additional scientific needs that are not directly related to the research itself, AKA it is not used to hire staff, purchase reagents, etc. For example, my graduate program used indirects to help cover a microscope core facility. They trained us how to use specialized microscopes that can cost as little as a brand-new vehicle, as well as making sure the scopes were maintained or quickly repaired if need be. Without a guarantee of these funds, universities are fearing they will not be able to pay incoming PhD students while also maintaining current research costs and retaining faculty or staff. The NIH also funds more exploratory research. It can ask important questions that may not seem relevant at the time but will prove useful in the future.
These are not the only horrific events playing out in real time stateside. We have vaccine deniers in charge of the healthcare system and our first child death from a measles outbreak in over a decade. There is an attack on other programs, like aid programs or DEI initiatives, that helped brilliant students have the chance to become scientists as well. There is glee in mocking anyone who is an immigrant or trans when they’re already a minority in many STEM fields. Public sentiment though seems to find it hilarious and like it is well deserved. The earnest handwringing and fear from STEM people seems like a joke, like we are being shoved out of an ivory tower like we deserve. The folks who were angry about COVID confusion/lockdowns/etc. see this as justice for our evil plotting against them. I don’t mind their jokes and cruelty, I chose this field because I believed in it, enjoy doing research, teaching science, and wanted to show others that if a disabled, lower middle class girly girl can get there, maybe they could too! The issue will come when we see people continue to sicken and die from preventable illnesses and we lose the ability to add to the growing body of research literature. It truly is a horrific time for science in the US right now.
Thanks all for reading! The next installments will be back to the normal format!
By Dee
Twitter @Sirenofscience
Follow Dee on Twitter @sirenofscience and Bluesky @sirenofscience.bsky.social
