Posts by Kingson Man, science/research beat reporter
Of Stem Cells and The Scientists Who Love Them
By Kingson Man, science/research beat reporter, written on Sep. 20, 2005
For anyone interested in today’s article about the opening of the new Center for Stem Cell Biology, here is a link to an earlier story that goes more in-depth into the issue:
Science, Ethics Grapple With Stem Cells
For almost a year now, most university biomedical departments across the country have been kept on their toes by California’s massive $3 billion stem cell proposal. While this number might seem impressive at first, a lot of the scientists I spoke to were actually unfazed by it. It was managing the perception of being outclassed by the Californians that was more crucial.
For those following the California story, there have been reports of the first cash grants being awarded by the state to research labs. These amount to around $40 million dollars to universities including Stanford and U.C. Santa Barbara. However, the actual money is still tied up in legal battles (some people are apparently very unhappy the state is allocating public money to this research, whether for ethical or fiscal reasons).
The awarded grants are thus I.O.U.’s, or promises of payment. These and other major questions contribute to the atmosphere of California still being a wild west for stem cell research - there are big hopes and big promises out there, but as one U of M scientist told me, “it’s all pie in the sky.”
I think the majority of scientists working at the University of Michigan are very happy. The word on the research grapevine (and also from personal experience) is that the elite East and West coast universities often have hostile, or openly competitive research environments. Ann Arbor represents for them a cooperative, collaborative, interdisciplinary place. That U of M nationally ranks in the top ten of many different fields doesn’t hurt, either.
This is a place where top-tier neuroscientists can walk across the block to talk to top-tier electrical engineers; where business economists can talk to social psychologists just around the Diag. I think scientists cherish that, and they know this cross-pollination of ideas represents the future trend of scientific research.