An idea that might just fly

SCIENTIFIC NETWORKS:The Wild Geese Network promises to put scientists in Ireland and America in touch with each other so they can exchange thoughts and news of opportunities

WHEN YOU are getting a project off the ground, it helps to have some momentum behind you. So it’s encouraging to feel the excitement among the group starting the Wild Geese Network, an initiative to connect Irish scientists in the US and Ireland. The web-based network hopes to harness the experience and expertise of Irish researchers in the US, encourage more collaboration and offer support to scientists moving between the two countries.

The group, which is growing in popularity, was launched officially in Washington DC last month at the annual gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). So far the response has been enthusiastic, but will the initiative continue to soar?

The idea for the network had been discussed informally for some time, says its president, Prof Nick Farrell.

“There was no eureka moment, but it is certainly true that over the years many of us have said we should do this,” he recalls.

In Washington last month, a group of US-based Irish scientists met a scientific delegation from Ireland that included research funding agencies and the organisers of Dublin City of Science 2012. That get-together, which came through a contact at the Irish embassy, tripped the switch.

“From this meeting . . . of a senior Irish group at the AAAS and a nucleus of interested and like-minded people, there was a common feeling that it was an idea whose time had come,” says Farrell, who studied chemistry at University College Dublin and is now an expert on platinum-based medications and professor of chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. “We decided, with strong enthusiasm from all parties, to make it a reality.”

So how does it work? The group has set itself up on LinkedIn, the free online networking site for professionals through which members can introduce themselves, contribute to discussions and contact each other.

A major goal is to take part in the events hosted by Dublin during its reign as European City of Science in 2012, which will include the EuroScience Open Forum that summer.

“We look forward to having as many members of the network participate in Dublin 2012 as possible,” says Farrell. “The EuroScience event is all about showcasing Irish science, very much in line with the goals of the Wild Geese Network, which include highlighting the successes of Irish scientists working abroad.”

Improving the visibility of Irish scientists should give this country a boost, says steering committee member Dr Samuel Bunting, who was educated in Belfast and is now researching cellular responses to DNA damage at the National Cancer Institute in Washington DC.

“[Ireland is] a small country, and if we’re going to compete globally, we need to maximise the contribution of our highly trained scientific workforce,” he says.

There are plenty of established scientists in the US ready to get involved, says Bunting.

“Everybody knows Ireland for the arts, but Irish scientists are similarly world class,” he says. “Irish scientists in the USA are at the cutting edge, but most people are not familiar with their work. Science lacks the spectacle of a Riverdance show, even when the quality is top notch. The Wild Geese Network brings Irish science to the forefront.”

The platform can offer routes for sharing information across the Atlantic too, he adds.

“The principal goal of the network is to boost collaboration between those in North America and Ireland. If you are in Ireland and you want to learn a specific scientific technique in America, the network will let you know who can help you. If you are in America and you have always yearned to go home, the network will let you know what opportunities are available.”

It is the kind of support network that steering committee member Dr David Loane could have used when he was moving from Trinity College Dublin, where he was studying neuroinflammatory changes in the aged and Alzheimer’s disease, to take up a position across the water.

“When I moved to the US four years ago, it would have been very helpful to contact Irish scientists in the Washington DC area to get practical information about the local area, how to apply for research visas and specific information about the institution or lab I was applying to,” says Loane, now assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Maryland school of medicine in Baltimore, and a key mover in setting up the network.

“The Wild Geese Network as a human network of successful and experienced Irish researchers will provide these support structures for the next generation of Irish scientists who are considering moving to the US to further their research careers.”

So far the response has been rapid and positive, with about 100 members joining the LinkedIn group in a few weeks.

“Scientists from all major disciplines have connected with our group and it is very encouraging that there is a great breadth to the membership,” says Loane. “I look forward to meeting these other talented Irish researchers in the near future for a coffee or a pint, and to share our stories and common experiences.”

That human element is vital, says steering committee member and epidemiologist Dr Gwen Murphy, who studied at University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin before taking up a post at the National Cancer Institute, where she looks at risk factors in gastro-intestinal cancers.

“It was important to us that this is very much a human network and we wanted to allow direct contact between members, regardless of where in the world they are. An engineer in Colorado should be able to find a chemist who happens to be in Cork, for example,” she says.

“Kind of like the Golden Pages of Irish scientists, if you like: if I’m looking for a collaborator with a certain skill set or access to certain data, wouldn’t it be great to quickly search the Wild Geese network, identify someone and get in touch? It’s a very simple idea.”

The steering group is now working on strategies to keep the network on course over the longer term, adds Murphy.

“We work in a relatively transient context so it is important that, when the current committee moves on, or moves home, the network continues and fresh blood replaces us. The strategic plan is important in this respect,” she says.

A website is planned and some steering committee members suggest there could be some tweeting too, but LinkedIn is the main link.

Dr James McDermott, who is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has signed up to the network.

“I think the group is really only getting off the ground: it’s mostly introductions, so far,” he says. “As with all social media, it’s not magic and linking with people is not an end in itself. Many groups falter when people realise there’s nothing more to them than “X likes this” and “Y has 50 contacts”. Time will tell whether this group can avoid these kinds of failures. I hope it does, because collaboration and networking are essential to success in science.”

* The group’s full title on linkedin.com is Wild Geese Network of Irish Scientists in North America