Why is this site called Try Nerdy? Well, anytime I talked about this site idea to other people, I found myself thinking “gosh, this sounds really nerdy.” But then…wouldn’t the world be so much better if everyone were a little nerdier? If everyone were a little more proactive about seeking information, rather than just accepting what they’re told? So, go ahead, I’m challenging you – try nerdy for a change.
I started this blog for three reasons:
1) Everyone hates paying taxes, but at least it’s nice to know what your taxpayer dollars are doing. A lot of people might know that, at least in the U.S., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) receives taxpayer money to fund scientific research. A lot of people might not know what that research is about. You have a right to know, and I want to tell you.
2) Everyone dreams of a magic bullet cure for what ails them. Even knowing that magic bullet cures for diseases almost never happen, there is a sense of pressure within the scientific community to start cranking out magic bullets (the general public may be thinking “We ran our 10K for cancer research five years ago – where’s the progress?!”). I want to tell you more about what scientists are actually doing at their jobs to try to understand and fight disease…maybe it will inspire you to get out and run more 10Ks.
3) I am a graduate student in the biological research field. My stipend provides what would be considered a lower-end income by most American standards. Sadly, if I stay in academic science, my financial prospects remain bleak, even after the roughly 6 years it will take me to earn a PhD (this is approximately the average timing for U.S. biology PhD programs, and the time to degree keeps going up…). Point being, I am attempting to make some side money, while hopefully doing a service.
I will be abstracting a lot of technical detail…I know scientists can internalize these articles as they are, but my target audience is not scientists (although they’re more than welcome). My entries will hopefully be easily digested by college-educated adults in any field who want to know more about current research on diseases that interest them. I hope to will take years’ worth of cutting-edge research and package it into a straightforward and unassuming 10-minute-or-less read.
Also, I reserve the right to blog about anything else that I think will help you be nerdy.
Disclaimer: I am a student. Just a student. I’m not a professional, and I have not had any part in the research I describe in this blog. This means that there may be occasions when I say something that is incorrect – please let me know if you notice this, and I will do my best to correct it. I am only here to try to bridge the gap that is the huge separation between the lay public and research scientists, to reconcile the expectations of the former with the realities of the latter. I believe the best way to do this is to provide information that most people just don’t have access to, so please, stay a while, and try nerdy. Thank you.
