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05 October 2001
Readers Respond
Amateur Science Survival
Dear Dr. Carlson:
I became aware of SAS indirectly about 5 years ago when a graduate student from Africa in my department at the University of Wisconsin came to see me about measuring oxygen consumption in mosquitoes hosting parasitic diseases. He had been looking at a $40,000 instrument to measure oxygen consumption in a single mosquito. His lab didn't have that kind of money. So he came to see me. I'm a Ph.D. physiologist who works in taste research and teaches undergraduate physiology (301). But I have a reputation for cooking up cheap solutions to expensive science problems. So this was another case of "You better either give it up or go see Tom Roberts". So Gaoussou told me his story and about malaria and how it was declared officially eradicated by DDT and now it was back, big time, in his country.
I didn't know how easy this one was going to be. The next thing Gaoussou did was pull out a copy of Scientific American, 1995 with an article entitled "Measuring the metabolism of small organisms". "Could we do anything like this?", he asked. Within a week I had a complete system built, printed circuits, rapid loading mosquito chambers, aluminum and plexiglas case and computerized plotting of oxygen consumption of 8 mosquitoes simultaneously for under $1,200. We published an article on the yellow fever mosquito in 1999 with 24 references. Reference 14 was Carlson S. 1995. Measuring the metabolism of small organisms. Sci Am 273: 102-103.
Our stories aren't all that different. For the last 4 years my partner, a retired physiology professor and I have been conducting workshops throughout Wisconsin for high school science teachers. We write science activities and I design science instruments and provide free kits of parts to get students interested in building their own stuff and doing science experiments. Our Eisenhower Grant funding has expired but our university will supply us with a truck and gas this year and we're going to go out to the schools in exchange for a free lunch at the cafeteria. The teachers want it, the students get a bang out of it and we're no longer getting paid. But its fun and, from our experience, science literacy sorely needs a boost. However, I have a wife at home in a wheelchair and I take care of her. I've been thinking of giving the whole works up. But if you can keep slugging away a little longer with SAS, I can hit the road a little longer in Wisconsin. So I have mailed a check for $100 to support SAS. I wish it could be more. I like your E-Bulletin very much and have downloaded several pieces of immediate value. One was Q-BASIC; I'd been looking for it for over a year and didn't know how to get a line on it.
The contribution really isn't costing me $100. My subscription to Scientific American has two years to run. I'm cancelling. Between my father and me, we have been getting Sci. Am. since 1948. I don't know what happened to it. I can't recommend it to my students any longer as a source or as a model for science review article format. It seems to have turned into a crazy experiment with fonts, photo paste-ups and science community gossip. Anyway, I'll be getting about 50-60 bucks back. Consider the $100 as payment for the guilty easy time I had in solving some past lab technology problems.
Good luck
Tom Roberts
[The following letter is from famed amateur paleontologist Jerry MacDonald. I was deeply moved by it, and by the details he gives about his great discovery that are not contained in his wonderful book Earth's First Steps (which, by the way, is only available through the SAS on-line store). For many years, Jerry has been a personal hero of mine and this letter will help you understand why. If you'd like to read this rest of this amazing adventure through citizen science, your autographed copy of his book is sitting in Nancy's office right now. I do hope you'll get a copy and read it to your family. It is truly inspirational. SC]
Dear Shawn
I know that "been there, done that" is meaningless. I feel bad that perhaps Nancy could have worked one more day if I could have paid shipping on the books. I, like you, have a loving wife who cares for me as yours does. They want our best, and they have such hearts. If I can at least salute you for your dedication to your dreams of scientific philanthropy -- spending your own nickels to bring about results -- while seeking not to jeopardize your own well-being. I, like you, can see what could have been, though I am not as clear about what can be right now with me. I know in my prime, my decisions were critical and life-altering. But I can sleep at night, and in time some things that were upside down righted themselves. I may not have told you this, but of the nearly $400,000 we received from Congress for the trackways research project (ca 1994-95), I personally pocketed about $6,000. I was supposed to get $12,500! But my good friend and fellow paleontologist Adrian Hunt was also to get $12,500. But he had three little munchkins and a wife at home raising them, and $12,500.00 was not going to be enough at all. When I thought of my situation, I had a wife that worked and my children were much older, I knew what needed to be done. So right there in the meeting -- with hostile forces gathering, I gave half of my one-time salary to Adrian. I walked out of that meeting so happy that I laughed all the way home. This kind of thing you have already done. Of course you have. You had to have done such things, much to the surprise of the rest of the world.
Now such selflessness must be checked, however, and I confess that I don't know what to tell you. Be careful, friend. That's why we have such loving and concerned mates.I was embarrassed to tell you we didn't have the money to ship the books, and it seems that you were too embarassed to tell me that you couldn't afford the shipping either. What a laugh. We are indeed two peas in a pod. Our wives would have a wonderful time together, probably alternating between unquenchable pride in our endeavours and mass hysteria over the future.
I know about the lack of interest moneywise. We had meeting after meeting over museum ideas, storage facilities, etc., etc. and so many people were supportive, so you launch the boat knowing that there will be some islands up ahead that you can stop at to pick up well needed supplies so that we can continue. And when you get there, you find out that the queen of the realm is named Hubbard. And as for the cupboard...
My greatest concern, Shawn, is for the kiddos. My oldest child was very adversely affected by the unfaithfulness of close friends who meant well. Such trials bring out good character, but these hardships must be carefully explained to our families so that the desired intent of our giving has its perfect result at home as well.
You know, if your book "citizen scientists" is a go, you should probably discuss that the proceeds be off-limits for anything other than family. We did so with Earth's First Steps, but the take was not that big anyway. Now, seven years later, it doesn't matter anymore.
Please forgive me speaking so directly, as if I knew you well and I were a trusted friend. But your letter touched Pearl and I. We know the pain and the heartache, and the occassional bitterness and anger, too. We will be praying for you and your family and for the decisions you may need to make.
Your friend always;
Jerry MacDonald
Supporting Amateur Science
Dear Dr. Carlson,
Your frank communication is honest and refreshing, and, as a small business person myself, rings very close to home. In this time of economic uncertainty and emotional tension, the right thing to do is to remind yourself and those you care for that they have a future, that things will be better soon enough, to stay focused on one's goals, and to get on with achieving them.
I started my business twenty years ago, while still an engineering undergrad at UCLA. We are in the business of very high performance computing, for genetic sequence analysis ("Genomics"), though that was not, of course, what my firm was founded on originally. DNA is a cryptogram written in the strangely foreign hand of deep time, and loads of fun to decipher if one has enough computing horsepower and scientific imagination.
To get right to the point, I did not become successful in business until after I developed strong skills in computer hardware engineering. I did not do that until I had been a amateur logic designer and homebrewer in grade school. And what got me into that was a passion for reading Stong's clearly written, and fun, column every month in Scientific American, during my early teenage years.
At the time I'd fooled around with conventional electronics projects that required simple resistors, capacitors and so on. But though those black plastic multi-legged chips I'd seen were too hard to figure out. I don't have your CD handy as I write this, to look up the specific magazine issue, but a fine 4-bit counter project showed up one month that opened all my future doors for me. After the success of that project, my excited demonstration of it triggered an older friend to give me an out-dated copy of the "biblical" Texas Instruments TTL Databook, which I eventually memorized much of. My high school electronics teacher Ralph Todd, a key mentor in my life, made the offer on the first day of class that for those who did well, he'd guarantee a summer job in electronics. I won that first job interview by suggesting that my boss-to-be name a TTL part number, and I'd tell him what that chip's function was...
I'll stop boring you but I hope I've adequately conveyed the importance of what you and Scientific American are doing for the current generation of young people.
My wife and I are active here in supporting our local elementary school's K-5 science program. Your appeal today, and the goals you have set for yourself and your organization, align with ours very well. How can I help? Perhaps beyond a direct corporate grant, we could craft a "matching challenge" to encourage others to participate also.
Regards,
James W. Lindelien
Nancy, Shawn:
Pretty well composed letter! Nary a trace of self- pity, clear presentation of the discouraging situation and the alternatives faced. I hope it shakes some apples out of the tree. A small one is en route by snail mail from me.
Know that you are not entirely alone: in my own academic business, my personal attitude has remorselessly cascaded toward something like "profound feeling of futility" (even though I realize having hurt feelings about it serves absolutely no useful purpose) for similar reasons: it seems there is no one out there. Of course a lone-wolf scientist can just carry on, but an organizer of Not for Profit has to collect donations, so it really does matter, not just to vanity, in your different case. But on the level of personal disappointment, never think you are alone. I hope your straightforward letter will wake up a few people, and hope to hear later that it happened massively.
Never give up. SAS is looking great and the web site in particular is a miracle.
Cheers from Art
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the message appraising us of your financial crisis. I'm dropping a small donation ($50) in the mail. I'm not in a position to do more at this time, but every bit helps. Although I am not currently involved in amateur science myself at this point in time, I like what you are doing, and I hope you can find a way to keep going in these difficult times. Good luck, and best wishes! And thanks for all your hard work. I think it's important to have an organization out there to help non-professionals pursue an interest in science. I invested a lot in getting my Physics degree, and I did manage to support myself as an Environmental Physicist for a few years, but an extended stint of unemployment finally convinced me to move over to a computer programming career. It seems to me that amateur science is the only avenue open to many folks like me who have an interest in science, but who can not find professional opportunities. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or funds to do anything right now (I barely have time to read my monthly issue of Scientific American!) but hopefully in a few years that will change. I hope you're still around when I finally get set up to start some projects! It's a shame that you do not have better institutional support--it wouldn't take much, and the work you are doing is very important. Thanks again, and I'll definitely renew when my membership is due.
Many thanks,
Bill
Shawn,
At least you have a job and a secure source of income for two more years. Right now I haven't had a job in months, and although I would like to be an engineering tech or do something slightly technical at least, I haven't found anyone who wants to hire me with no experience. The only job offers I have gotten are for jobs that don't even require a high-school diploma, in most cases, and I have a BA in physics from a good college. I am starting my own business now, putting up Christmas lights, because that's something I can do and something I enjoy doing, but that will only last for two months or so, and then I'll be back out looking for jobs again. I do hope to make a lot of money over these next couple of months, and I promise that your organization will get a share of whatever profits I make. But I can't afford to give you anything right now. I've just been checking the price of Christmas lights, and they are expensive!
P.S. You do a great job, but it's hard for anyone to find the money they need in this recession. You know what would really help me out? If I had a name for my business, that would be really helpful. I thought of "Anno Domini Christmas Decor," but there were several things I didn't like about it, and my brother says it sounds "snooty," but I will be working for the rich people in south Tulsa, so perhaps that's okay. Anyway, if you have any free time, please send me your thoughts on that name, because once I have a good name, I can make money, and send some of it to you. Thanks.
[So if you've got a good name for Daniel, please send it to him. And if you live near Tulsa and need someone to hang your Christmas lights, why not send him an email? SC]
Dr. Carlson:
You can count on my support. I have sent a letter and a check.
I wonder if you've considered approaching "Discover" magazine about starting a column similar to the the "Amateur Scientist" series. In addition to promoting homebrew experimentation, it might provide a vehicle by which to promote SAS.
H. P. Friedrichs
Tucson, AZ
Running Programs in BASIC
Sheldon,
I caught your article about the BASIC language in the bulletin. You might want to add a reference to "True BASIC" to the article. The BASIC language was written back in 1964 (!) by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth. They have a company that sells basic interpreters/compilers to the public. I bought one for my macintosh back in 1992 (or so). They are apparently still in business up in your neck of the woods. http://www.truebasic.com/
Tim Davis
Sheldon:
I enjoyed your article at the SAS site on programming in Basic on personal computers. I've been running Basic on the Macintosh since the late 80's. Microsoft developed an excellent version of QuickBasic for the Mac, but, alas, stopped supporting it after System 6. I discovered this by accident when I was invited to give a talk at a university campus and discovered that none of my demonstration software would run on their Macs under System 7.
At the moment, I am using True Basic Silver on my G3 Power Mac under System 8.5. True Basic was developed by Thomas E. Kurtz and John G. Kemeney, the inventors of the original Basic Language at Dartmouth, and it has evolved into a powerful language for both Mac and Windows operating systems. It differs from most other dialects of Basic by being a "structured" language that does not use line numbers, line labels, GO TO and similar functions. It is also (pseudo-)compiled rather than interpreted and thus executes rapidly. Another nice feature is its built-in matrix mathematical operators. For more information, visit the web site at www.truebasic.com.
John Chalmers
