Dr Jenny Rohn on why science is vital

UCL biologist Dr Jenny Rohn explains the motivation for her call to arms to protect science research funding that has seen her at Parliament and Downing Street this week. ?When I first started as a humble research fellow at UCL back in 2007, little did I expect that, three years on, UCL Provost Malcolm Grant would be praising me in his famous newsletter for something that had nothing to do with my research. ?The story of how I transformed from cell biologist to temporary campaigner is a whirlwind one. The setting to this tale, which began just over a month ago, is a scientific community gripped by growing anxieties about the fragile economy and fears about precisely how the Government's axe would fall ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October. 'On 9 September, Business Secretary Vince Cable delivered his now infamous speech signposting sweeping cuts to science funding and the need for us to 'do more with less'. Needless to say, this was a real wake-up call. 'Now, I've been living with the extreme competitiveness that characterises research funding in this country for some time, and am currently shadowed by the prospect of my own dwindling fellowship, which runs out in just over a year's time.