View of modern research in Germany

The usual complaints about the Anglo-American
axis of research, but acknowledgement of the
lack of places, because of inflexibility, in
Germany.
Still there is a lack of real research money too.

Subject: Goethe-Institut - Research and Technology - Topics
X-URL: http://www.goethe.de/wis/fut/thm/en1841852.htm

The Helmholtz Association: Research Writ Large
Prof. J?rgen Mlynek
"Our mission is to help solve pressing social, scientific and economic
problems." In September 2005 J?rgen Mlynek took the helm of the
Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Germany's biggest scientific organization. In
this interview he advocates greater flexibility in German research and
explains what's special about the Helmholtz Centres.

F: Professor Mlynek, in your capacity as president of the Helmholtz
Association you received the Schr?dinger Award for Interdisciplinary
Research a few days ago. To put it a bit polemically: is there really
any prize-worthy research still going on in Germany today?

A: Germany is still one of the leading nations in science and technology.
Excellent research is going on here, we place well in international
rankings. The situation is better than the prevailing mood would
suggest. Our young researchers are much in demand and we've still got
an edge in many areas of science and technology, as is reflected in
the economy.

F: When you look at the German research scene, in your opinion what are
the most formidable challenges to significantly boosting research in
Germany? Are they of a structural or financial nature?

A: There are essentially two big barriers to overcome. The first is a
matter of mentality: Are we not as good as we think we are? Or do we
not believe we're as good as we actually are? It is, in short, a
matter of self-assurance. The other barrier is that the basic
conditions for research and development need to be changed. There are
too many rules we have to abide by. We've got to loosen up these
rules, cut the red tape. We need more flexibility - when it comes to
remuneration, for example. We need to be able to break away from the
public service union agreement and pay salaries based on individual
results.

F: How important is funding for the next generation of researchers?

A: There are some 80,000 doctoral candidates in Germany. These young
academics are internationally sought-after. We have to make sure they
stay here and don't emigrate to Anglo-American countries. We have to
hold out bright prospects to our researchers, especially those between
the ages of 30 and 35. In the scientific domain, for example, that
means more independence, more autonomy in directing research groups.
That's why I feel junior professorships are a step in the right
direction. The goal should be to establish something akin to the
tenure track system in Anglo-American countries. We've already
introduced something of the sort in our Helmholtz University Young
Investigators Groups. Furthermore, the Habilitation [qualification to
teach at university--TRANSLATOR'S NOTE] ought to be abolished. It's
outmoded. And the process takes longer than initially intended.

F: Five years ago, the Helmholtz Association laid down its main fields of
endeavour for research and funding purposes. They include Energy, the
Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, the Structure of
Matter, and Transport and Space. What are these fields of endeavour
about?

The Helmholtz Association has a mission. We engage in top-level
research to solve major and pressing social, scientific and economic
problems. The fields you mentioned are among the most formidable
challenges facing our society. The 15 Helmholtz Centres address issues
in those fields, often pooling their efforts to that end. They work on
.... [ 66 more lines ]
Translation: Eric Rosencrantz
November 2006
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References

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Western Blot? Wot that?

A western blot (a.k.a immunoblot) is a method in molecular biology/biochemistry/immunogenetics to detect protein in a given sample of tissue homogenate or extract. It uses gel electrophoresis to separate denatured proteins by mass. The proteins are then transferred out of the gel and onto a membrane (typically nitrocellulose), where they are "probed" using antibodies specific to the protein. As a result, researchers can examine the amount of protein in a given sample and compare levels between several groups. Other techniques also using antibodies allow detection of proteins in tissues (immunohistochemistry) and cells (immunocytochemistry).

The method originated from the laboratory of George Stark at Stanford. The name western blot was given to the technique by W. Neal Burnette (Analytical Biochemistry, 112:195-203, 1981) and is a play on the name Southern blot, a technique for DNA detection developed earlier by Edwin Southern (Journal of Molecular Biology 98 (3): 503-&1975 ) [ See http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/histcomp/southern-em_auth/ for History of Citation ]. Detection of RNA is termed northern blotting.

Western blots allow investigators to determine the molecular weight of a protein and to measure relative amounts of the protein present in different samples.

1) Proteins are separated by gel electrophoresis, usually SDS-PAGE.

2) The proteins are transfered to a sheet of special blotting paper called nitrocellulose, though other types of paper, or membranes, can be used. The proteins retain the same pattern of separation they had on the gel.

3) The blot is incubated with a generic protein (such as milk proteins) to bind to any remaining sticky places on the nitrocellulose. An antibody is then added to the solution which is able to bind to its specific protein. The antibody has an enzyme (e.g. alkaline phosphatase or horseradish peroxidase) or dye attached to it which cannot be seen at this time.

4) The location of the antibody is revealed by incubating it with a colorless substrate that the attached enzyme converts to a colored product that can be seen and photographed.