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> many young people don't want to spend months pulling their hair off to get a deeper understanding of what they do Every generation says this about the next g

by smt88 4y ago

> many young people don't want to spend months pulling their hair off to get a deeper understanding of what they do Every generation says this about the next generation, and yet here we are with scientists in their 30s making huge advancements in things like mRNA vaccines. If you think that laziness (what you're implying this is) will be the end of the world, there are many things that are far more urgent. No high-tech industry is collapsing because they can't find enough STEM graduates.

Barrin92 4y ago
>and yet here we are with scientists in their 30s making huge advancements in things like mRNA vaccines mrna vaccines are several decades older than the people you are likely thinking of, and by many estimates the return on pharmacological research per dollar invested, as a rough metric of scientific productivity, has slowed by two magnitudes. >No high-tech industry is collapsing because they can't find enough STEM graduates. civil and nuclear engineering would like to disagree. Shortages are so severe that retirees are routinely brought back these days.
- whimsicalism 4y ago
  > civil and nuclear engineering would like to disagree. Shortages are so severe that retirees are routinely brought back these days. This has to do with funding shortfalls. Looking at the current political/economic landscape, I would practically be an idiot to invest time in trying to become a nuclear engineer rather than getting deep knowledge of a subject that capital holders have shown more interest in rewarding.
- smt88 4y ago
  I have multiple friends who went into civil or nuclear engineering, and none of them stayed in public research. They get paid 3x by industry. One of them now builds United's algorithm for flight pricing. It isn't an issue of laziness or lack of knowledge. We don't treat scientists well, so they leave. > mrna vaccines are several decades older than the people you are likely thinking of Old or dead scientists are the basis of all modern science. The question is whether there are young scientists building on those foundations and making major breakthroughs, and there are[1]. 1. https://leaps.org/moderna-covid-vaccine/the-scientist-who-solved-delivery-kerry-benenato https://leaps.org/moderna-covid-vaccine/the-scientist-who-so...

by smt88 4y ago

Barrin92 4y ago

>and yet here we are with scientists in their 30s making huge advancements in things like mRNA vaccines mrna vaccines are several decades older than the people you are likely thinking of, and by many estimates the return on pharmacological research per dollar invested, as a rough metric of scientific productivity, has slowed by two magnitudes. >No high-tech industry is collapsing because they can't find enough STEM graduates. civil and nuclear engineering would like to disagree. Shortages are so severe that retirees are routinely brought back these days.

whimsicalism 4y ago
> civil and nuclear engineering would like to disagree. Shortages are so severe that retirees are routinely brought back these days. This has to do with funding shortfalls. Looking at the current political/economic landscape, I would practically be an idiot to invest time in trying to become a nuclear engineer rather than getting deep knowledge of a subject that capital holders have shown more interest in rewarding.
smt88 4y ago
I have multiple friends who went into civil or nuclear engineering, and none of them stayed in public research. They get paid 3x by industry. One of them now builds United's algorithm for flight pricing. It isn't an issue of laziness or lack of knowledge. We don't treat scientists well, so they leave. > mrna vaccines are several decades older than the people you are likely thinking of Old or dead scientists are the basis of all modern science. The question is whether there are young scientists building on those foundations and making major breakthroughs, and there are[1]. 1. https://leaps.org/moderna-covid-vaccine/the-scientist-who-solved-delivery-kerry-benenato https://leaps.org/moderna-covid-vaccine/the-scientist-who-so...