Mr. Cherubini you make an excellent point. The monarch study you refer to would seem frivolous to an uninformed and ignorant person, who doesn't understand science and who doesn't know that there is a connection between disease transmission and animal migration and that a subject of study does not need to be economically important to result in significant future results, to spend $135,898 dollars per year to employ several persons and cover their overhead and travel costs under the supervision of someone who has been chosen most qualified to receive it because of past superior performance as a scientist.
This is probably the reason that the monies are distributed by the National Science Foundation, rather than some other group. Charlie Davis All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Shopenhauer (1788-1860) -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul Cherubini Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 4:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Palin laughs at fruit fly research Jason L Kindall wrote: > Viewed alone, it might be pretty hard to justify > research on fruit flies to the average Joe (plumber > or six-pack). Connect it with autism or human health > and then it becomes more palatable to the public. Perhaps Sarah Palin and the average Joe's are refering to the big research grants that are awarded for seemingly frivolous projects like the one below dealing with the health of an economically unimportant, but charasmatic insect: http://tinyurl.com/2d6r9f $679,492 Grant to assist professor's study of butterflies Altizer received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development Career award to study migration and infectious disease patterns in Monarch butterflies. Altizer hopes her research will help with conservation. She wants to know how migration keeps Monarchs healthy. "People tend to love Monarchs to death," Altizer said. Keeping humans from disrupting the butterflies' migration will help keep them healthy. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif.
