8/21: Out in the Open - Scientific research

In today's (8/21/08) Boston Globe, there is an interesting piece called "Out in the Open: Some scientists sharing results" by Carolyn Johnson. It's worth a read to you geeks like me.

It's relevant to our work because SOOOO much research is being done on HIV/AIDS, yet so much of it is being done in secret labs around the world.

There are some nasty rumors floating around some parts of Africa that all of this "AIDS stuff" is a myth, enabling people to be tested, poked and prodded to benefit science. While unfounded, for sure, these research teams that come and go - spending years in the labs away from their "test subjects" in Africa - do breed controversy. Whatever happened to those guys? is a question I have received quite a few times when I meet with local leaders in Zimbabwe & Zambia after they've been research subjects for various aid agencies or academic institutions.

While this article doesn't explore all of these things, you can see how the benefits could outweigh the traditions of science to bring about change. In our open-source internet days that most of us experience daily (with our Google widgets, blogs, customizable templates on websites, ANNOYING Facebook applications, etc), I see promise in Canton's example.

Give it a read.

-Ryan