To look around at the faces, or to hear the languages at any
science conference is to see the world in a single place at a single time.
Science is one of the truly global enterprises, involving people from all
regions. Of course this is not to say that science isn’t disproportionately
dominated by some countries and regions, but geography does not have a monopoly
on ideas. In my lab over the past seven years I have had 15 graduate students and
postdoctoral researchers come through my lab from 9 different countries. The
question is: does this internationalism influence science? Or does science
happen in the same way regardless of who is doing it?
Caroline and I have had a couple of conversations on this
topic, and we have both noticed that there seem to be cultural differences in
various aspects of how science is done. Of course there is substantial
variation among people regardless of their geographical origin, but there are
important and maybe subtle differences. From how many hours a day people work,
to how professors interact with students and junior researchers, to how quickly
new ideas and tools are adopted, there are noticeable differences among
geographical regions.
This geographical variation results in different priorities
and emphases, and different rates of scientific production, but there is no
ideal way. As students move around, international collaborations grow, and
people meet and talk at conferences, the best parts of these cultural
differences are transferred. I can say that from my year in China, how I view
certain elements of my science has changed, and I suspect my Chinese students
would say the same about their interactions with me.
The Ecosummit conference we are at is a very international
meeting with 88 countries represented. This makes for fertile ground for the
sharing of not only scientific ideas and methods, but also learning and sharing
notions of what it means to be a successful scientist. This variety is the
spice of good science.
