Happy New Year!!
Still tied up with those grant proposals that I referred to earlier on, so, I will be back with some weird stories on the Bel Paese later on this month.
The other day, however, something funny happened which I want to report.
I was in the middle of a review for a manuscript, commissioned by a journal. My parents were visiting me in Rome and realized that I had to work late on my review which, by the way, was over-due. My mom just could not believe that I was doing that for free.
”You don’t get any money for all this work? Then why on earth do you do that??”. I did think of telling her that full professors do the same, and that’s the way science goes ‘round…and that my life ahead was going to be just as gloomy, but then, thanks to a momentary lapse of reason, I decided to just nod. At least, I sent her to sleep without too many worries. Well, less worries, perhaps.
See you soon! Congrats to Viktor for being featured on the journal!
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Science in the Bel Paese
Italy has a serious scientific research excellence problem at home. Why there are so few foreign scientists in Italian Labs? Is the Italian academic job ladder closed to foreigners? Something new is happening, just may be, and I feel an urge to report it.
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Teach your mom peer review
- Date:
- Friday, 11 Jan uary 2008 - 21:47 GMT
Last updated: Friday, 11 Jan 2008 - 21:47 GMT
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Comments
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Ouch Massimo, you have now touched on the delicate balance of the relationship between Italian men and their parents (moms in particular).
I am not sure if that is easier to understand than the science funding situation but I loved your nodding escape: elegant, simply yet extremely powerful although I doubts non Italian people can fully understand the majesticity of the gesture.
Thanks Massimo!
My grandma asked the same when I started my blog: How much money do you get for this?
Giuseppe, I merely emulated Nanni Moretti, who, in Caro Diario (or was it Aprile?), meets a young French guy in his kitchen and listens, defenseless, to his dissertation on the importance of avoiding conflicts of interests in politics. When the French guy asks him how Italy managed to appoint a prime minister who owned 3 major TV channels and controlled other 3 State-owned channels…if I recall correctly, Nanni Moretti had nothing to do but lowering his chin and nod…
Viktor: your grandma would be happy to meet my mom. Perhaps you won’t be making money with this blog, but you have clearly got a great idea and I would expect that, sooner or later, a journal will ask you…