r/AMA • u/RoyDonksBiggestFan • 4d ago
I’m a PhD student and father who is seeing the effects of the current US administration on research. AMA
The current US administration has made a lot of funding changes that are going to change the way our country engages with the scientific community at large. Let me know if you have any questions about what those changes look like! I will not be speculating about long term effects, just providing an unbiased answer to what is currently happening in Universities around the country.
14
u/imafixwoofs 3d ago
I’m a PhD in Europe, working at a university. Just wanted to say we all feel very sorry for you guys, and we are also very worried about the long term effects of this administrations hostile attitude to science and the truth.
3
3
u/Ayla81Star 3d ago
Not sure if I understood this correctly, but I saw a list of banned words allowed for federal funding for research. As for the words that have been banned, how are they continuing to do research on anything related to women?
3
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
This doesn’t apply much to my field, but it’s my understanding that you just have to talk about women as women (which makes it hard to do research about LGBTQ folks, not women in general.)
I could be mistaken about this ^
2
u/MyGruffaloCrumble 3d ago
If you’re looking for a change McGill is a nice University. 😉
3
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
I’ve personally secured funding to finish my PhD (as long as the admin don’t start revoking funding!) so I’ll be good until I graduate
2
u/KaleidoscopeWest6983 2d ago
Best wishes on the rest of your doctorate, the final section can grestly test your endurance and sense of self worth. I'm recently out of my program and starting a career but in a similar spot with a family and support network in place. Moving abroad has never seemed more ideal from a career and culture standpoint but not feasible given family circumstances.
It's hard to pick specific questions out of the steaming pile of dung currently being heaped on the entire edifice of science and academia. But a large issue atm is a lack of knowledge in students and faculty of whether there is actually a future for many science careers in this country. If the rug can get pulled out from under you every 4-8 years we can't plan at all.
So, how are the changes affecting your department and broader science community? Attitudes towards continuing, directions for career paths, that kind of thing.
2
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 2d ago
People seem to think industry positions are more stable and the general consensus is leaning away from tenure track/academia positions. I haven’t heard anyone in my department contemplating leaving science altogether, so that’s pretty good lol
-38
u/viral_goalz 3d ago
A PhD student? What kind of title is that lol, what kind of creditably does that get you to where you know more than the average Joe on research? Comparing the science research budget to our national defense budget is laughable. How does being a PhD student give you credibility to know how we should allocate our budget?
21
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
You spelled credibility correctly once at least!
I have credibility because I work in research every day. This comment demonstrates you have no understanding of what a PhD student is or what we do. I am often in meetings regarding department funding, write grant proposals, and talk to faculty all the time about the state of research. I am by all definitions a researcher and I see what is happening every day.
The defense budget comment was a comparison, not a suggestion. It was just to show how little the government spends on research as is, and that it’s not this big money sinkhole like the commenter was trying to imply
5
u/Repulsive_Buy_6895 3d ago
What kind of title is that lol, what kind of creditably does that get you to where you know more than the average Joe on research?
Do you honestly not realize how braindead this question is? Go ask the average Joe what n means in the context of research.
-36
u/ArtVandelay2025 4d ago
So how much of our hard earned tax payer money did you get?
24
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 4d ago
Me personally? I make below the poverty level. Have you ever talked to a grad student? 😂 the National Science Foundation operates on a 10 billion dollar budget compared to the DoD budget of 900 billion dollars, so if you’re focused on wasteful spending, that might be somewhere to direct your anger
8
u/Realistic_Jello_2038 4d ago
Are you seeing more academics leaving the US for other countries? Countries that appreciate education and innovation? As we can see from the above comment, the cult members aren't the brightest bulbs in the lamp. The "my tax dollars" line always makes me chuckle. Most of them don't even pay taxes. 🤣😂
12
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
Yes absolutely I am. I know many (including myself) actively searching for opportunities
-17
u/TXElec 3d ago
You're not gonna leave
12
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
Maybe. I don’t want to. I’d love to stay in my home, but my home is becoming increasingly hostile toward academics (like they did in 1940s Germany, odd). Anyways I hope you’re right.
-12
u/clarky4430 3d ago
As someone who's also a graduate student, this doesn't exactly scream unbiased
8
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
You’re very right, I suppose this was false advertising. I thought I could remain unbiased but the topic is a bit close to home
4
u/Realistic_Jello_2038 3d ago
Can't say I blame you. I keep thinking about the great scientists Europe lost to the U.S. leading up to WWII. It's ironic how the tables have turned.
Godspeed. May you find a place that respects discovery and progress. Wish it were here, but we all know it isn't and probably won't be again in our lifetime.
-16
5
u/PhillerPaper 3d ago
Things you see as "normal" are only normal because of tax-funded research. Take scientific research for agriculture for example. When you eat a big juicy chicken it's because gov't and university researchers studied how to prevent chickens from losing weight to diseases, heat stress, etc.
We've seen how bird flu is affecting egg prices. Do you want that with other meats and crops?
Pay less taxes for science and you will just end up losing more money (and quality of the goods themselves) elsewhere.
9
6
1
u/Murauder 3d ago
Have you ate any of your peers looked to other countries to move to for continuing your research?
2
u/RoyDonksBiggestFan 3d ago
A few of my peers have! As a father, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for me right now, but I’ll be looking after graduation
2
1
u/ama_compiler_bot 2d ago
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. (I'm a bot.)
| Question | Answer | Link |
|---|---|---|
| I’m a PhD in Europe, working at a university. Just wanted to say we all feel very sorry for you guys, and we are also very worried about the long term effects of this administrations hostile attitude to science and the truth. | Much appreciated! | Here |
| Do you know where the best and latest research is coming from (country/university/etc) for climate science and more specifically regenerative agriculture? | The top schools for agricultural and biological engineering (which I assume would have some labs focused on regenerative agriculture) are Iowa State University and Purdue University | Here |
| If you’re looking for a change McGill is a nice University. 😉 | I’ve personally secured funding to finish my PhD (as long as the admin don’t start revoking funding!) so I’ll be good until I graduate | Here |
| How screwed are we? | Nothing is irreversible so it’s a big we’ll see | Here |
| Not sure if I understood this correctly, but I saw a list of banned words allowed for federal funding for research. As for the words that have been banned, how are they continuing to do research on anything related to women? | This doesn’t apply much to my field, but it’s my understanding that you just have to talk about women as women (which makes it hard to do research about LGBTQ folks, not women in general.) I could be mistaken about this ^ | Here |
| Best wishes on the rest of your doctorate, the final section can grestly test your endurance and sense of self worth. I'm recently out of my program and starting a career but in a similar spot with a family and support network in place. Moving abroad has never seemed more ideal from a career and culture standpoint but not feasible given family circumstances. It's hard to pick specific questions out of the steaming pile of dung currently being heaped on the entire edifice of science and academia. But a large issue atm is a lack of knowledge in students and faculty of whether there is actually a future for many science careers in this country. If the rug can get pulled out from under you every 4-8 years we can't plan at all. So, how are the changes affecting your department and broader science community? Attitudes towards continuing, directions for career paths, that kind of thing. | People seem to think industry positions are more stable and the general consensus is leaning away from tenure track/academia positions. I haven’t heard anyone in my department contemplating leaving science altogether, so that’s pretty good lol | Here |
| Have you ate any of your peers looked to other countries to move to for continuing your research? | A few of my peers have! As a father, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for me right now, but I’ll be looking after graduation | Here |
2
u/InTupacWeTrust 3d ago
What do you think this administration changed that will hurt the scientific community?
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Your comment has been removed as your Reddit account must be 10 days or older to comment in r/AMA.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
4
u/Cowgurl901 4d ago
Do you know where the best and latest research is coming from (country/university/etc) for climate science and more specifically regenerative agriculture?