Tribal

Having recently attended the Gathering of the Clans in a rather large area of biomedical science, I suppose it is inevitable to think about what Janet Stemwedel terms the Tribe of Science. Actually I’ve been thinking about the many, many tribes within science. A storm of tribal Venn diagrams has been wandering across my mind.

Tribal action for the common goodIn history and fiction, calling the tribe or Gathering the Clans has an almost inevitable connection to warfare. Pulling together into group action for the common good, albeit occasionally to the detriment of Others. Not always of course, see Figure.
Science tribes come together, mill about and …..what?

Fund Science

Suppose you wanted to build an electrophysiology rig for less than $100 in eventual product cost? Suppose that something you thought was at least partially a goof really resonated with people, especially people in science education?
Further suppose that you are outside of the traditional science funding path for some reason. Perhaps you are not affiliated with any university. Perhaps you are affiliated but are not in a job category that permits you to submit proposals to the NSF or NIH?
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place for you to get a pilot grant to establish credibility and feasibility of your idea?