The scientist as a squirrel

What does one need to obtain grant funding in these tough times?

*Overcoming obstacles
*Fierce determination
*Exceptional creativity and ingenuity
*Proof of feasibility
*Above all, persistence and resilience

In short, behave like this squirrel that entertained us all through dinner.

About Steve Caplan

I am a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska where I mentor a group of students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers working on endocytic protein trafficking. My first lablit novel, "Matter Over Mind," is about a biomedical researcher seeking tenure and struggling to overcome the consequences of growing up with a parent suffering from bipolar disorder. Lablit novel #2, "Welcome Home, Sir," published by Anaphora Literary Press, deals with a hypochondriac principal investigator whose service in the army and post-traumatic stress disorder actually prepare him well for academic, but not personal success. Novel #3, "A Degree of Betrayal," is an academic murder mystery. "Saving One" is my most recent novel set at the National Institutes of Health. Now IN PRESS: Today's Curiosity is Tomorrow's Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research (CRC PRESS, 2021). https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B006CSULBW? All views expressed are my own, of course--after all, I hate advertising.
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2 Responses to The scientist as a squirrel

  1. This is hilarious! Did he ever actually succeed? It’s difficult to tell…

    • Steve Caplan says:

      Our squirrel definitely got in some big mouthfuls of seeds and birdfood! The amazing thing is how he was able to circumvent the “Baffle Cone” and come from ‘above.’

      In previous years, we had actually used Vaseline to grease the feeder pole, making some pretty funny situations with squirrels sliding down the pole like firemen.

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