Message from ARCS NCC Leadership, Spring 2021: While we are still in the middle of a deadly pandemic, I found great joy recently in giving some neighbors bundles of tulips and ranunculus from the Farmers Market. Some flowers, like poppies and violets, are delicate -- these ones are experts in exploding colors. They inspired me to have a Sunday brunch in our little garden with those neighbors who are fully vaccinated. (Finally, age has some privilege!) I hope each of us finds moments of gratitude each day. Being grateful will help get us through this.
Fully vaccinated is what I want this world to be. Dr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations said, “In this interconnected world, none of us is safe until we are all safe.” The global collaboration of scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory agencies has resulted in multiple vaccines that will help to bring the pandemic to an end. Now we need to support their equitable distribution and counter the misinformation that has produced so much vaccine resistance.
Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson had a column in the March 20 Review, WSJ. He is an ARCS alum, a member of the ARCS National Hall of Fame, and the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. He wrote: “Pseudoscience, anti-science, fear of science and science denial all thrive in our culture”. He concluded that “science needs better marketing – refined and persistent - so that no one will ever again take its discoveries for granted.” His strong message resonates with me. We need to communicate science in key messages, not 35-page pdfs, and ARCS Scholars need to be speaking to lay audiences about their research. Let’s find more opportunities for them to do that.
Being part of ARCS, an organization of women who are science advocates, makes me proud. Together we make a difference in the lives of ARCS Scholars who go on to make life-changing discoveries, start companies, improve our quality of life, and, importantly, train the next generation of scientists. This is a good time to tell our story, “toot our horns”, and invite others to co-invest in young scientists.
Let's stay connected as we remain apart. Please be well, stay safe, and take good care! We have important work to do.
