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Words by Vacha Patel
In 2020 the World froze. It will go down in history as the year of a Pandemic. While none of us have been immune to some sort of suffering, whether directly or indirectly from the hardships induced by Covid-19 this year, it’s important to shift our perspective and instead look closely with a more positive outlook: There is an interconnectedness of existence which humanity might not have experienced if it weren’t for the pandemic. Despite starting 2020 with #WW3 memes, humanity experienced quite the opposite. Instead, we saw how people come together when they share the same story, same home, same mission and same adversity. Becoming aware of our similarities, people came together, became stronger and experienced extraordinary change at a breathtaking pace. One of the best examples of harmony and comradery during these trying times was that seen within the scientific community. All over the world, scientists ignored national borders and came together this year with a common purpose and unparalleled momentum to decode the virus and create a vaccine. With the aid of technology, connectivity and mobility we already have millions vaccinated. A more unexpected benefit that occurred as a result of the pandemic was seen in the form of carbon emissions being reduced by the largest amount ever recorded. As people stayed in, the world was able to start healing itself. Continuing this trend, countries like China, Japan and South Korea committed this year to becoming net zero emissions by 2050. Joe Biden promised a $2 trillion climate plan and is set to rejoin the Paris agreement. The EU and UK aim for about 55% and 67% reduction in emissions, respectively, by the year 2030. Also, large corporations like Apple aim to have net zero emissions by 2030 and Walmart by 2040. In addition, the cost of renewable energy sources is declining much faster than predicted. This never before seen alacrity by the global community to address the emergency of climate change is due in large part to the pandemic. Covid-19 has caused some serious disruption in the corporate world. It has caused economies and society at large to bring into sharp focus the immediate economic priorities for governments and businesses. With that being said, environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures are entering a new phase and people approach it with a different lens. Previously, ESG was not a priority as performance-based metrics for companies, but since the pandemic began, corporations have since had to refocus their priorities to include ESG measures. Additionally, ESG ratings are becoming increasingly important for all investors, rather than only attracting the socially conscious investor. This again addresses the issue of climate change, but also focuses on employees’ wellness and social inclusion. It’s important to realize that 2020 wasn’t a boxed event in time. Rather, it was the year that the crisis that already existed became blatantly apparent. As a community of scientists, it is up to us to educate the world and work together towards healing our planet in the next year.
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Words by Ipshita Zutshi
Edited by Jessica Sharrock Burnout, stress, hopelessness…we in academia are only too familiar with these terms. How many times have we had a paper rejected, had a PI make unreasonable productivity demands, had to deal with the incessant guilt of taking time away from the bench? Mental health issues are pervasive and deeply entrenched across all fields of academia, but sadly often also go ignored. On September 24th, 2019, INet NYC organized an open mic event on mental health that invited anonymous stories from scientists and researchers across the country, which were then narrated to the audience. Several members of the audience also shed their inhibitions and shared their own stories of dealing with the pressures of academia. By narrating stories of various kinds, ranging from annoying co-workers, to frustrating experiments, to serious cases of harassment, our goal was three-fold – first, to provide a healthy environment where one can gain some respite by sharing stories that have probably been festering for a while. Second, to demonstrate to all those suffering from mental health issues out there, that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Lastly, by narrating a large variety of stories, we hoped to gain a better idea of the breadth and range of mental health issues that plague us in academia. This event was awarded the 2019 Elsevier National Postdoc Appreciation Week Best New Event award and we would like to thank the NPA for recognizing the importance of addressing mental health concerns. The event brought to light several reasons why mental health issues in academia are so widespread. Firstly, in academia, the lines between career and personal life become increasingly blurred. In our quest for success, we discourage time for hobbies, interests, families, and foster a culture of stiff competition where an inability to enjoy spending 12 hours cooped up in front of a microscope reflects too little “passion” for science. Unfortunately, so many of us slip between the cracks because of this culture, where we’re stuck feeling like misfits, or ‘imposters’, or simply not having what it takes. Another recurrent theme across most stories was that academia is a relatively solitary journey. Alone you trudge, dealing with failures on almost a daily basis – failed experiments, grant rejections, rejected papers. Toxic lab environments, competition between lab members, and unreasonable PIs were one of the primary sources of stress amongst our story contributors. Lastly, it became amply clear that most international researchers also have the added stressors of immigration. Most visas preclude international researchers from taking up jobs outside of academia, forcing them to be stuck, miserable, in their current labs, or risk having to go back to their home countries. Bleak as all this it may sound, the event also discussed how the younger generation of researchers are now rejecting the stigmas and toxic expectations of academia. There are several very loud voices championing for better mental health in academia, and it was widely agreed that sharing our stories is a first step to making this career path a more inclusive and welcoming place. Given the current coronavirus crisis, we acknowledge that mental health issues have likely been exacerbated for most of us. The stress of being away from experiments for an unknown period of time, being locked into our shoebox-sized NYC apartments, pressures from PIs to use this time “productively”, job and immigration insecurities, and a constant fear for our loved ones in faraway cities or countries – trust us, we know exactly how you feel! But maybe this is good time to take a break, spend time with a loved one, catch up on healthy eating, take up a new hobby. The experiments will still be waiting for you once this is all over, so for now, just make sure you are taking care of yourself. If you are struggling with mental health issues, please do reach out to counselors, friends and family. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please contact the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Hopefully, with a little bit of help and support, we can work towards making academia a much more welcoming and positive career path than the one we have experienced till now. Words by Ipshita Zutshi
You’ve packed your suitcases, flown several hours cramped up in a tiny aircraft, and just arrived in New York City with your head held high full of hopes and expectations. You’ve got your mind set on conquering the world and what better place than NYC to achieve those dreams? As you step onto the curb at the airport, a jaunt in your stride, you’re spared by inches from a cab speeding past you, trailed by an endless stream of the choicest insults. You shake your head numbly, take a few steps back, and with an inward groan, begin to question all your life decisions. This is essentially what life in New York City is – an incessant, impossible juxtaposition of contradictions. And trust us, we get it – you came here to focus on your career, and somehow found yourself instead deciphering complicated acronyms such as DS2019, FSA or W4, worrying about credit scores, figuring out if the F train runs on weekends, and wondering why it takes you months just to get a doctor’s appointment. And in addition to negotiating all of these real-world problems, you are also expected to publish, network, and find yourself a job before your visa runs out, or before you get bankrupt from exorbitant rents. Yikes. Clearly being a scientist is extremely challenging but being an international scientist in NYC is arguably more so. This is precisely what INet NYC is here to help you out with! We are a group of international scientists, who, just like you, reached the United States only to realize that sometimes New York City can be a bit too much. As a team of scientists across all the major educational institutes in the New York area, we aim to bring people across different fields of science together by organizing a wide variety of events, such as monthly hangouts, workshops, networking sessions, immigration and tax advice, and career opportunities. Our hope is that these events not only provide short and long-term career benefits, but also provide an opportunity to make friends and enjoy all the millions of benefits that NYC has to offer. So, if you find yourself in search of a fun group of like-minded people, or would like some career advice, or have specific questions about research in NYC, give us a shout out, follow us on instagram and twitter and show up for our events! We will also now have regular posts on our blog with various updates about our events and life as a scientist in NYC. Stay tuned! |
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