Yesterday I finished with my first grant application. Now most scientists I know yell and scream about how much of a pain writing a grant is. And while I do think the time sink is pretty severe, I found that it was really quite enjoyable to actually write the proposal. It’s not often that one gets to argue for your research in much the way that you can do in a grant application. In scientific articles you make arguments based on a logical progression and only in the intro do you get to motivate why what you are studying is important. It especially helps that I really [Correction: uh the word “like” should be here] the research I do. If I had to write a proposal about something I had only half my heart in, I can see myself not enjoying the process. Also I tend to view my work as a luxury item: being paid to work on theoretical science is like being given a big shiny yacht and allowed to cruise in the deep blue waters of ideas. Yeah, it’s a blessed life.
\nOf course, this is my first grant application. Talk to me in a few years and maybe I’ll be like all the other jaded researchers grubbing for money. But if I do, will someone please grab me by the nose and smack me back to my senses?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yesterday I finished with my first grant application. Now most scientists I know yell and scream about how much of a pain writing a grant is. And while I do think the time sink is pretty severe, I found that it was really quite enjoyable to actually write the proposal. It’s not often that one … <\/p>\n