The Research Conundrum
Agam Bhatia analyses the far-reaching ramifications of the pandemic for scientific research.
S
cience has never been in more demand. With the SARS-CoV-2 spreading like wildfire, research scientists face intense pressure to understand and fight the pandemic. COVID-19 has come to influence the sphere of research drastically in a dramatically short period. Given the magnitude of the pandemic and of the subsequent repercussions, the virus is surely bound to impact research for years to come. However, how would it do so? The very engines of scientific research – thousands of universities & colleges - have shut down all over the world, cutting access to sophisticated, specialized tools and resources for students and professors. These kinds of experimental research involve hypothesizing and testing as a group: from having meetings, discussing data collection to monitoring that data, effective teamwork is an integral part of scientific research. As Chris Impey of the University of Arizona states, “We can’t have face-to-face meetings of research groups or even 14
“To put it simply, the alternatives that have been used during the pandemic simply do not suffice for effective, advanced research.”
thesis committees.” And the situation is no different different for over 250 universities across the United States and more across the world. Prospective researchers are unable to contact experienced professors for valuable advice along with facing other obstacles created by the pandemic to the process of independent research, especially as mobility and availability of resources reaches a staggering low. To put it simply, the alternatives that have been used during the pandemic simply do not suffice for effective, advanced research.
More perniciously, projects and expeditions are now suffering significant delays because of the loss in research personnel. For instance, the German expedition MOSAiC, which was studying the rapidly changing Arctic climate, has been put off course due to a member of the crew testing positive for the virus. Even then, this is far from the end. NASA has sent most of its facilities into lockdown, creating a slump
