The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with over 12,000 members.

Founded in 1906, the Society is based in Bethesda, Maryland, on the campus of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. The Society's purpose is to advance the science of biochemistry and molecular biology through publication of scientific and educational journals: the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics,  and the Journal of Lipid Research, organization of scientific meetings, advocacy for funding of basic research and education, support of science education at all levels, and promoting the diversity of individuals entering the scientific workforce.

President's Message

First Things First
By Gregory A. Petsko, ASBMB President

Although ASBMB is in fine shape, the same cannot be said for American science. These are the toughest times I’ve seen in my 35 years doing independent research. I don’t have to tell you that the funding situation is historically bad; that the influence of science on government has become virtually non-existent under the Bush Administration; that young people face enormous difficulties starting their careers; that mid-career scientists face equally enormous ones staying in their field or moving to a new one; that competition at home and from abroad has never been tougher; that peer review is in peril; and that research priorities are not being set the way they should be. These and other problems are so severe that they threaten the entire magnificent edifice that is American science, an edifice that I believe has also been the foundation for much of the prosperity that this country has enjoyed in the last 60 years. I intend to try to do something about this, using both the bully pulpit of the ASBMB presidency and the human resources of the society—by which I mean you. I need your advice and support as we try to put things right. 

In future columns, I’ll try to address these and other problems. It’s the nature of essays to focus on the difficulties we face and what we ought to do about them. But that focus can give a strident, negative tone to the dialogue, and that’s not the way I want this to begin. So in this letter I want to step back from the things that are wrong with American science and talk about the many things that are right.

It’s easy to forget just how fortunate we are. We live and work in a country where freedom of inquiry is protected by law, and where the public has a high degree of respect for what we do. We are part of a great tradition that stretches back literally thousands of years, to before Euclid and Archimedes, and that is responsible for nearly all human progress.  To put it another way, the reason I’m writing this column at a nice desk in a room lit by an electric light while sitting on a comfortable chair in a cozy house instead of sitting in a tree wondering where my next banana is coming from is entirely due to people like you, who for centuries have dared to ask questions and pursue ideas. Even those of us who never make that earth-shattering discovery will have contributed some brick or mortar of consequence to the enormous wall that is human knowledge. 

Ours is a noble and honorable profession, and it is a profession in the original sense of the word: a service performed for the public good. We live by our wits, to be sure, but we do so for the benefit of mankind. We never have to question the value of what we do; we need no justification for getting up in the morning and going to work. Indeed, most of us work way beyond the traditional 40-hour week, with no overtime pay, because we love what we do and recognize its worth. Most people in the world have jobs; we have a vocation. Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are in that regard. There are aspects of what I do that I could cheerfully do without, but I can honestly say that I would scrub floors if I had to in order to do science.

And most of us don’t do it alone. We are fortunate to have colleagues and collaborators and to have them, potentially, in almost every country on earth. Think of it: we can go anywhere and the odds are there will be people who will be interested in what we do and with whom we can talk about things of mutual interest.  We are truly citizens of the world. 

Moreover, our friends and colleagues can come from every age group. That’s almost unique in this world. In nearly every other line of work there is a hierarchy that is based in large part on age and experience. Upper management tends to be middle-aged and doesn’t socialize or even work with much younger junior executives. We can and do both without regard for such artificial barriers. For those of us who teach or train graduate students and postdocs, we have the added pleasure of working daily with extraordinarily bright, dedicated, interesting young people. Just imagine: these smart kids do what we tell them to—and if they are really smart, they do stuff we’d never have thought to tell them. The pleasure of training our successors and watching them grow is something I wouldn’t give up for all the gold in Ireland. 

So let’s work together to try to fix the things that are wrong, but let’s also remember to celebrate the things that are right. Science is a great life. We get to explore and discover and at the same time know that what we do is worthwhile. Yes, there are problems, but it sure beats working for a living.