When Science Relies on Politics: Federal Funding for Research Ayushi Hegde is a second-year at the University of Chicago. She is currently working towards a double major in French and Biology, a choice influenced by her passion for languages, literature and research. Outside of SISR, Ayushi is a member of SASA and Chicago Raas, a competitive team on campus that practices traditional dance from the Indian state Gujarat. She also works closely with Student Health and Counseling as a member of The Body Positive, a group that aims to promote positive body image, awareness of eating disorders and inclusivity on campus. In her free time, she loves to pet dogs, eat desserts and go on long runs. 6
THE TRIPLE HELIX Spring 2020
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cience—it goes without saying—is not easy. Popular culture is saturated with images of its monumental difficulty: test tubes, scribbled-on blackboards, lab-coated men looking like they’ve stuck their fingers into outlets. In part, the depiction is glamorous because we associate it with difficulty. But if you ask an investigator to name a source of frustration in their field, you’re likely to get the same, surprisingly unglamorous response. The grant-writing process tends to discourage scientists the most, an annoyance that seems almost trivial compared to the content of their work and the long hours and years of schooling demanded by it. Their frustration is understandable. Researchers depend on government and private funds for their work, with grants needed to cover reagents, equipment, and the equally drawn-out process of publishing original research. Federal agencies © 2020, The Triple Helix, Inc. All rights reserved.
