The $8 an hour shuttle driver behind a Nobel Prize | Hacker News Reader

The $8 an hour shuttle driver behind a Nobel Prize

news.cnet.com

41 pointstroystribling12 comments

Here is the shuttle driver's (Prasher) original publication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1347277 (which is the first GFP publication)

Here's a Science article 2 years later (with Prasher and one of the actual Nobel Prize winners - Chalfie): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8303295

And another in that same year with Prasher and a different prize winner (Tsien): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7809066

...crazy... why didn't Prasher get it too?

This sort of thing is irritatingly common when it comes to major scientific prizes (the most infamous example being that of Rosalind Franklin, whose research was probably stolen by Watson and Crick).

Frustrating as that kind of oversight may be, I think it's a far greater problem that a talented scientist is driving a shuttle bus to avoid unemployment.

We clearly have a shortage of scientists in America -- let's train more!

"It was more important to me to hand over the tool to other scientists with the funding than to have individual glory," Prasher told London's Daily Mail.

Wow. Honest to goodness nobility. Don't see that every day.

Perhaps he's driving a bus not because he's not worthy of us, but because we're not worthy of him.

this is a crushingly sad story.

It's a shame he didn't get some official recognition, but he willingly sent his work to these guys.

He's obviously one of the few people around who cares more about helping people than money. He's got the respect of his peers, which in academia is probably one of the main things you strive for.

I'm sure he would have been greatful for few quid though!

I'll grant you this is somewhat unfortunate, but I think "crushingly sad" is a bit exaggerated.

Seems as if something is missing... why couldn't he find a "scientific position" after 2006?

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2008...

From this article:

Prasher said he has suffered from health problems and depression, some of which stems from being out of science for so long

I think he probably couldn't move due to him taking out a large mortgage prior. He's most likely underwater and there aren't too many scientific jobs in Alabama?

Better to be foreclosed on than work as a shuttle bus driver if other options are available.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=335127

if it's any consolation, Prasher can take a page out of Garrett Lisi's playbook and get grants from new institutions who would be willing to fund someone like him now that his name is out.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com