European vs. American Science

May 4th, 2008

At the risk of making some overly general statements based on my own personal experiences, I wanted to put down some thoughts about how the approach toward   science — at least astronomy — seems to differ between the U.S. and Europe.   I’m hip deep, or maybe neck deep, in Hubble Space Telescope proposals in preparation for the cycle 17 review next week, and proposals are one place I’ve noticed there seems to be a different approach on average.

What’s the difference?   American proposers seem to have a tendency toward narrow, well-defined questions, at least for smaller projects.   Americans still manage to make large, general projects, often surveys, which promise unknown discoveries, but the typical approach is to offer a very specific problem, and then a very specific observation that will answer that questions.   A much high fraction of European proposals I’ve read over the years tend to offer up a unique, interesting object, or sample of objects, and ask to observe them in some new way, often will less specific promises.   The typical American reviewer will find these “fishing expeditions,” while the typical European reviewer will find the American proposals a little boring with a smaller chance of making totally new discoveries.

Personally, I think well balanced science programs should support projects of both types.   I have a bias toward the American perspective, but find that single approach too limiting.   There are some really cool objects we should check out because sometimes they don’t behave like people think they should, and the only way to find that out is to look.   I’ve written proposals of both types, and find the European ones more fun myself.   I’ve seen cases where the science analysis is so predictable, astronomers write the paper in advance and just wait for the observations to fill in a few particular numbers.   Boring, to me at least, even when important.

The other area where I’ve seen differences is in how observatories and institutes are run.   My particular favorite example is comparing the American’s Keck Observatory in Hawaii to the European’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.   Both are premier observatories featuring the largest optical telescopes and the best instrumentation in the world.   I’ve proposed to, and observed at, both places.

The Europeans are more egalitarian, more formal, more luxurious than the Americans.   The Americans are much less formal, place the science first before fairness among astronomers, and tend to put extra money into the equipment before accommodations.    Maybe the differences involve making everyone happy in a European Union that has a lot of members, big and small, and letting everyone play a role.   I’ll tell you though, the lodging at the VLT is the best I’ve ever experienced and the food superior as well, which makes for a nice set-up.   Keck observing is done in town (Waimea) and while the dorm rooms are fine, it’s all very informal and having McDonald’s in the observing room is not unusual.

There’s a very formal procedure for making observations at the VLT.   The time I went, we wanted to add a supernova to the program (these are impossible to anticipate in advance) and communicated with the director and a group with a special program at the time to observe supernovas with our instrument.   The group was happy to have us make the observation, as we planned to share the data and collaborate, but we never heard back from the director’s office.   So we didn’t make the observation.   At Keck, we would have just done it, and worked out the other details later (which can usually be done fairly).   I prefer the American approach here.   Better to ask for forgiveness than not to take the data.

Now, I’m not going to say one approach is better than the other, but each has identifiable strengths and weaknesses.   I’m partial to the American perspective, but I know I’m biased.

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