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The International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology consists of members actively involved in research endeavors
in applied cardiovascular biology.
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Education for Careers in Applied Cardiovascular Biology
Stuart K. Williams, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular Innovation Institute
Louisville, KY
During the early years of the ISACB the importance of luring students into our society was considered critical to the future of our society as well as the field of applied cardiovascular biology. Did the choice of the word “applied” in our society’s name cause some students to avoid attendance? When does a student decide to pursue a career in applied cardiovascular biology? Most of our senior members will remember the day when a student first asked whether they should become a basic scientist or an applied scientist. And our answer was and remains a critical point in the future of a young scientist. It is unfortunate that we still must address this and many other false dichotomies when helping students decide their course of studies based on what is seen as a fork in the road.
The answer to the question of whether to pursue a basic research vs applied research career not only can form the basis for a student’s studies but also has an incredible effect on curriculum design. Faculty struggle with curriculum design that will provide a student a complete education in basic science, provide education in application and professionalism AND leave time for laboratory work to establish the ability to use this knowledge to create new knowledge. This is one of many reasons the time to degree for the PhD in the US continues to be unacceptable with the current median total time to degree being over ten years1. With the median age of a US doctoral recipient being 33.3 years we/they had better be sure of their career choice (basic vs applied). In addition, biomedical engineering programs are struggling with curriculum decisions on how to incorporate basic science education with applied science and engineering.
Donald Stokes in his book Pasteur’s Quadrant2 took a major step dispelling the false dichotomy regarding the choice between becoming a basic scientist vs an applied scientist. The answer is you can be both and the career of Louis Pasteur is one of the best examples. The quadrants first suggested by Stokes are shown in the figure below and illustrate that through history there have been investigators with predominantly basic science approaches (Niels Bohr) and the penultimate applied scientist, Thomas Edison. The fourth quadrant, which represents minimal basic or applied research, has been filled with the term commercialization. Some place senior administrators in this quadrant! Students should be encouraged to consider careers that provide an opportunity to pursue basic research and use this knowledge in pursuit of application.
How do we provide the optimum education for students and prepare them for careers as independent investigators in applied cardiovascular biology? First, the median time to degree must be reduced. One easy method is for faculty to publish the average time to degree for students in their program and use this as a recruiting tool. Of great importance is the need to change the attitude of faculty that if a student does NOT follow their mentors career steps exactly and become a professor in academic setting, the student is often considered a failure. In the current employment environment success should be defined as obtaining employment in a position that utilizes the skills developed during graduate school. Graduate school curriculums must be re-considered at many institutions. We are often under great pressure to teach more graduate courses to create more tuition payments, to pay the bills. Resist this. Students need to gain the basic knowledge necessary to explore their dissertation question, and get in the lab and pursue this question.
The final element of developing the optimum education is recognition that students will NOT complete their studies fully educated. They will receive a certification in their diploma but this signifies the start of their formal education. The graduate curriculum should be concise. Students do not need expanded education in every discipline. What they do need is the basic understanding of how to approach a problem, how to formulate a question (a hypothesis) and if they need more information on how to solve a difficult problem they need to understand how to find that information. Students who desire to take courses outside the “normal” curriculum should be encouraged to do so. This may take time away from a student’s time in the lab, the time they should be spending doing the research that creates the data and papers that support the grants that funds their stipend. Provide students the opportunity to perform internships at other institutions and with industry. And above all everyone should continue to enjoy the education process and realize why a career in science is always considered one of the most satisfying careers available.
References
1. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06312/
2. Pasteur's Quadrant Basic Science and Technological Innovation Donald E. Stokes, Brookings Institution Press 1997
