To have and have not. Mostly not.

The Scientist has a must read article about the disparity in funding across institutions and states.

This article resonates with me, because I’m in a “have not” institution with ambition. While Texas as a state isn’t faring badly, Texas is a big state, and some regions, like southern Texas, don’t fare as well.

My mind boggled from this quote from Ian Blair, who runs a proteomics core facility at University of Pennsylvania:

“My view is that mass spectrometers are like handbags,” he says. “You can’t have too many.”

The article uses North Dakota and South Dakota as examples of “have not” states, and describes several things that people do to keep noticed:

Kevin Young, a UND professor, says he wears a North Dakota t-shirt when attending meetings, since people always remember the guy from North Dakota. “It’s like going to see a panda.”

Ultimately, however, if push ever comes to shove, you know what side you’re on in the race:

There’s no way the school can fairly compete with major players, (Van Doze) says. “They’ve got tanks for weaponry, and we’ve got BB guns.”

BB guns? Count yourself lucky, good sir! Or we shall come after you with our pointed sticks!