Quote:
Originally Posted by venturabananas
If you think there is big money for individual scientists doing climate science work, you are mistaken. Our salaries are set by the institutions we work for. These guys don't need global change money -- there will always be jobs and funding to do climate research of some type.
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I'll suppose for a minute that perhaps things are done differently in California. I'm an agronomist and I work for the University of Florida. I'm going back to get my PhD in August. Here, tenure and promotion is determined by a formula that looks at how many publications you have made, classes taught, and how much grant money you brought in. Having been a part of the grant-writing process over the past few years, I know that grants tend to have some kind of theme. When there is a perceived problem, the federal government directs more money towards it. I realize that the researchers don't get a direct share of that money, but it helps them along in their careers. It also increases the size and scope of their little fiefdoms. It's nice to have extra employees and grad students and new lab equipment. Like I said, I have no problem with the research, but rather with the apocalyptic predictions.