Topsy-Turvy Corporate Culture - From Tiny to Enormous

Let's face it: We humans are rubbish at logs.

I don't mean the huge cuts removed from tree stumps, but rather the mathematical powers of ten that scale up or down our everyday existence. N.dG.T. related a convincing illustration of our teensy experience relative to outer space in his first stint hosting Cosmos; here's another from the JLC archives.

Now, I've been working in pharma for some time, usually in tiny start-up companies with 10-100 people (log₁₀ = 1-2). Recently, I made the jump to "Megapharma," clocking in somewhere around 5 logs (To calibrate you, the total student population of UT-Austin is ~4.7 logs, and the population of Los Angeles is 6.6 logs). It's professionally equivalent to feeling like a single grain of salt in a heaping tablespoon.

And hey, this is only a two-log difference!

Not that I'm an introvert, either: I've been ENTJ for as long as I can remember. I'm perfectly fine with bustling parties (1.5 logs) or attending conferences with ~3. But this type of scale jump takes some adjustment. I find myself buried in organizational charts, figuring out exactly whose workflow covers my next project. I apologize when re-meeting people I've met two weeks before - just not enough space on the mental whiteboard for all the new names. Gone are the days when I could just poke my head in my colleague's lab to get a reagent, or speak directly to my company's founder. The enormities of scale preclude certain "normal" social interactions.

All this to say that my posting schedule will remain sparse until I wrap my brain fully around this new reality. It's not all bad news: Small sub-groups meet to offer community to new folks like me. Megapharma uses lots of ingenious workplace engineering to make the place seem smaller - potted plants, kitchenettes, warm colors, etc. After a little while, my brain will loosen and change, and you'll see floods of new posts about the joys of meetings (to plan other meetings) and #BigPharma life.

Oh...and more chemistry whimsy. Promise.

Friday Fun: Who Should be Science Laureate?

Perhaps this little tidbit from ScienceInsider got lost in the shuffle yesterday:

Looks like Washington wants a Science Laureate, a travelling scientist "national spokesman for science" to rove about the country drumming up support and excitement. From Sen. Hirono's (HI) office:

"This new honorary position would be appointed by the President from nominees recommended by the National Academy of Sciences and serve for a term of 1-2 years. Using this national platform, the Science Laureate would be empowered to speak to Americans on the importance of science broadly and scientific issues of the day..."

"So, should we rock-paper-scissors for it, then?"
Credit: Solar San Antonio | Hayden Planetarium

“...Establishing honorary U.S. Science Laureates would send a clear message to young people about the value of science and technology in our society, and the importance of scientific research to both economic progress and our quality of life,” said Alan I. Leshner Chief Executive Officer of the AAAS and Executive Publisher of Science." 

OK, I'm all in favor of increasing exposure and public awareness of science, even if most of the politicians quoted in the article keep beating the STEM STEM STEM horse to death.
So, what does this gig pay, anyway?

"Like the Poet Laureate, the Science Laureate would be an unpaid, honorary post. The scientist would also be encouraged to continue their important scientific work."

Tough break. Guess you'd be expected to write those R01's on the road, then.

Happy Friday!
SAO 

The Secret Life of...Chemists?

A friendly link on Twitter led me to Neil deGrasse Tyson's profile page at NOVA's "The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers" (Tagline: Where the lab coats come off). I'll admit I haven't visited much before, but I believe it's a PBS web series devoted to public outreach through personal conversations with scientists.

Source: pbs.org

Noticing the ~40 or so other smart folks in the left-hand margin, I wondered whether NOVA had yet profiled any personable chemists. Alas, far as I can tell, not a single chemist* appears on their site; there's a "nanoscientist," a "DNA Scientist," and a "biochemist," but no synthesis, polymers, or catalysts in sight!

Luckily, commenters to the rescue: A request for nominations on the site has drawn >100 comments, and I see at least 25 people clamoring for chemists.

If you know a chemist with a hidden talent, please consider sending in their name.

*Never fear, they've already profiled plenty of physicists, neuroscientists, climate scientists, astronomers, and psychologists. Some disciplines just promote themselves better.

Friday Fun - Scientists at Play

Source: Bill Nye, Facebook

I'm constantly amazed at how much interesting, relevant science stuff comes down the Twitter feed. As I've said before, in very short order I've become a total convert. The online community of friends and contacts keeps me motivated, blogging, and perhaps a half-step ahead of many traditional news outlets.

Well, all work and no play makes SeeArrOh a dull boy, so here are a few hand-picked images that have crossed my path in the past few weeks:

1. Bill Nye (who I really need to do a post on!) and Neal deGrasse Tyson, two grizzled vets of science outreach, obviously game for appearing X-Men style for a satirical post-apocalyptic movie poster.

2. In my imagination, all of my colleagues from across the pond - Stu, Freda, B.R.S.M., Neil, TotSyn - dress like this every day for work.

Source: Sony Pictures / Aardman

This shot, from a Sony Pictures promotional site, actually ruffled feathers when the U.S. release team decided to chuck the original title, used for (more science-friendly?) U.K. movie audiences.
Does that animation style seem familiar? Thank Aardman studios, the clay stop-motion filmmakers who've created wonderful characters like running chickens, dashing mice, and, of course...Gromit.

Source: 2012 ACS San Diego

3. Finally, the ACS Mole hams it up with current President Bassam Shakashiri at the 2012 conference in San Diego, proving once again that "Science is Fun!"

I just have to know...who gets to wear the Mole costume? And, where do I sign up???

Cool Science - N.dG.T.

Meet Neil deGrasse Tyson.

He's the director of the Hayden Planetarium. He's appeared on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He answers astronomy questions posed to him by random netizens on reddit, and gives dozens of public talks to school kids.

Noted science writer Carl Zimmer has recently written a fairly glowing profile of him, that appeared in a well-read magazine.

He hosts episodes of NOVA for PBS, and Fox will re-boot Cosmos with him in front.

But it was his AP stock photo (see right) from this NPR book review that drew my eye - when's the last time being a scientist looked so cool?