Retorts

What's in a Name?

Bestow honours with different categories of excellence, says one of your correspondents [June, Retorts].

You could argue that that's what the Nobel Prizes do, but that doesn't help us here much.

You could argue that being a Fellow of the different scientific societies who award such rarefied titles do just that. But, to refer to your correspondent again, isn't that just a remnant of a medieval mindset? It certainly doesn't have the connotations of learning it might once have had, but smacks more of the old boys' network.

It's not shame that is the root cause of scientists hiding their achievements. It's more a lack of time or interest, or a concern that the tall poppy syndrome will rise up and bite them (if you accept the mix of flora and fauna in that metaphor).

Mind you, these days, more and more scientists are hiding their achievements because of the requirements of commercial sensitivity that demand they do so.

When half your research funding comes from commercial clients, there is little incentive -- and considerable disincentive in fact -- to tell the world what you're up to. And now our universities are on the bandwagon, this pernicious trend seems likely to spread further. So much for attempts to raise awareness of science's academic and civic achievements!

K. Kerr, Christchurch