Social Implications and Funding of Research
Scientists receive funding from the government to carry out their research. To get this funding scientists must write grants (large reports explaining what they plan to do with the money). These grants are submitted to the funding agencies and reviewed by experts in the research area. After review the grants are either approved, and funding is received, or they are not approved, and another grant must be written. This funding is very important because researchers are constantly discovering new things. Their finding affect us in many ways, and range from the creation of new drugs to important new technology. Three research groups that are discussed here all contribute to society with their findings. Professor McMahon and his students help to identify compounds that are found in space so we can better understand how the world we live in came about. Professor Stahl and his group are designing environmentally clean catalysts that can be used to make a variety of important chemicals without doing so much harm to nature. Professor Gellman and his group are working on developing drugs to help control and cure cancer and HIV. With just a few examples it is easy to see how and why scientists make a difference in our world!