Scientists are at the front line of science. You see their names on papers. You hear about their findings on the radio (well, for some of them). But what you don’t necessarily realize, is that it takes a lot of people for scientists to be where they are. People that work with them, help them, or simply live with them (which, trust me, is not always simple).
Take me as an example… sorry, it’s the best example I have on hand.
My first job as a field assistant was perfect in many way, and gruesome in many other ways. The field season was 7 months: from January 2nd until the end of July, and it was 100 km from home. So, for 2 years, I lived 7 months of the year away from home, as I worked and lived from Monday to Friday with my boss. I had just purchased a house and could not enjoy it after a long day of work, only after a long week of work. We were working in a river, in chest wader all day… rain or shine, snow or wind. In June, with the warm days, the fishermen would tell us we had the best work in the world, but no one was here to cheer us up in the middle of January, in freezing rain. Lots of work, lots of dedication, and at the end of it, my boss published a nice paper. My name? You could find it in the acknowledgment section. I was the Science Supporter.
Eventually I started grad school and got married on the same year. One week after our wedding, I told my husband: “Sorry, I have to go, I have storm-petrel chicks to monitor!” This time my field work wasn’t 100 km from home, but 6000 km. So, for 7 years, I lived 9 months of the year away from home, an ocean apart from my husband. He took care of our household while I was on remote islands. He took decisions for us when I was out of reach. His name? Nowhere to be seen in the acknowledgement section of any of my papers. He is one of my many Science Supporter. And guess who helped me setting up this blog??
We all have a science supporter in our life, or more likely many science supporters. Let’s not forget them. They worry about us and take care of our lives when we do some field work in remote locations. They cope with our stress and frustration when we have a paper rejected. Thank you all!!!!
Don’t forget to thank all those people working in your shadows through #ScienceSupporterDay.
Here are a few of my many Science Supporters
