[meteorite-list] Lorton, Smithsonian and "cool" scientists thinking

Fri Jan 29 14:52:36 EST 2010

... and may I add that not only are scientists these days sporting  "ponytails, dreadlocks and tattoos" (and I know several), but more are of the female persuasion.  Girl Power dude.

On Jan 29, 2010, at 9:44 AM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks wrote:

> Hi Steve and List,
> 
> Great post and unfortunately very true.
> 
> Something I have noticed in the last couple of years - more and more
> scientists have ponytails, dreadlocks, and tattoos.  When I watch
> science documentaries on TV now, you often see a young scientist with
> a goatee and dreadlocks.  It's funny and encouraging at the same time.
> Times are a changin and people are becoming more open minded and
> tolerant.
> 
> When I grew up in the early 70's, all scientists on TV had buzz-cuts
> and looked like cops.  So, perhaps this archaic anti-collecting
> attitude we go the same way as the dinosaurs.  Just give it time.
> 
> Seriously, next time you watch a science documentary (especially the
> ones about astronomy), take a look at the scientists they interview -
> you see a few "old school" types, but you also see the next young crop
> of up and coming scientists, and if looks are any gauge, then I feel
> hopeful that these exclusionary attitudes and snobbish views will
> disappear along with the buzz cuts and pocket protectors. ;)
> 
> Best regards and happy hunting,
> 
> MikeG
> 
> PS - isn't the Smith publicly subsidized by tax payer money?  If so,
> what right do they have to deny access to the specimens?
> 
> 
> 
> On 1/29/10, MeteorHntr at aol.com <MeteorHntr at aol.com> wrote:
>> Hey List,
>> 
>> It was my understanding that a local news station was  called to the Lorton
>> doctor's office, and then that TV news crew  actually drove the meteorite
>> to the Smithsonian for verification. At  that time, it became obvious that
>> it
>> was a genuine meteorite and then efforts by  the museum personnel were
>> started to acquire this specimen for the  museum.
>> 
>> In any case, when I arrived at the fall site the next day after  the story
>> broke, with a Meteorite Men camera crew on my heels, Smithsonian  personnel
>> were there at the fall site, which I thought was great.  You  can't blame
>> them for wanting to obtain the rock.  In fact, there would be  something
>> wrong
>> if they didn't want to acquire it.
>> 
>> I will say that our  Meteorite Men producers made extensive attempts to
>> gain permission from the  Smithsonian for me to come to the U.S. National
>> Collection with a camera crew  and shoot footage of Earth's newest alien
>> visitor
>> to appear in one of our  upcoming February episodes.  If the Lorton story
>> would have played out big  enough, it could have become its own episode,
>> most
>> likely running at the end of  February or in March of this year.
>> 
>> We were willing to pay  the $1,000 shooting fee that the Smithsonian
>> normally charges, but we were  flatly denied ANY access to the Lorton
>> specimen for
>> our TV show.  I am not  sure of all of the reasons, and who made the actual
>> decision to deny us and our  audience the opportunity to see it first hand,
>> but it seems that because the  Smithsonian now has their own new cable TV
>> network, and as such it is  now their policy to not give any competing TV
>> networks any access to shooting  any of their stuff in their collections.
>> 
>> We also wanted to film  the actual Tucson Ring specimen, that is the
>> centerpiece in the National  Collection's public display, for this next
>> Wednesday's episode of Meteorite Men,  but we were flatly denied access a
>> few months
>> ago to shoot that as well.   The February 3rd episode of Meteorite Men goes
>> into the historical story of the  Tucson Ring and of course, as the center
>> piece to our National Collection now on  display in Washington D.C., it's
>> final resting place is an important part of the  story of the greatest
>> legend in
>> all of meteorites.
>> 
>> However, I was  told that the "powers that be" at the Smithsonian did offer
>> to sell us a black  and white still photo of the Ring for $400 to use on
>> the show.  Nice of  them, wasn't it?  So, I don't think the problems we had
>> this last week were  related to the Lorton fall in particular, but seems to
>> be
>> a bigger bureaucratic  problem elsewhere.
>> 
>> Apparently, other networks have had severe access  challenges lately in
>> wanting to get footage of other national treasures since  the Smithsonian
>> cable
>> network was formed.  In our case it seems to be a  real shame as it would
>> have generated great PR for both our TV show and for the  Smithsonian and
>> for
>> meteorites in general.
>> 
>> Well, maybe one day, a  few years down the road, we can look forward to the
>> Smithsonian Cable TV Network  running their own TV show about meteorites in
>> general and maybe the Lorton  specifically and we will all get to see it
>> again.
>> 
>> It is not my intention  to paint the meteorite professionals at the
>> National Collection in a bad  light.  In fact, I would invite them to
>> respond here
>> to give their side of  the story.  I have traded with the Smithsonian in the
>> past and I even sold  the Smithsonian some West specimens this last year.
>> While the process was  complicated and took a very long time, the people I
>> worked with were great, and  I consider them friends and colleagues in our
>> celestial quest.  I get the  feeling that the challenges we face are in
>> other
>> departments other than  theirs.
>> 
>> I do know there is still some prejudice against the  collecting community
>> among some in governmental employed academia.  There  are those that still
>> think all meteorites should be owned by governments and  that there should
>> be
>> no private hunting for, collecting and owning of  meteorites.   There seems
>> to be a few dinosaurs holding onto the idea  that if someone earns a buck,
>> or God forbid -- a living, in the meteorite  business, it is a bad thing.
>> (Ironically, I am still looking for the list  of scientists and curators
>> that
>> donate 100% of their paychecks each week back to  the institutions that
>> employ them, because they really believe it is wrong for  anyone to earn any
>> money from working with meteorites.)  And what is really  ironic, is that
>> people like Dr. Art Ehlmann at T.C.U., who really does all his  meteorite
>> work
>> gratis, is on the top of the list of people who do their  meteorite work for
>> no pay AND he is also on the top of the list of scientists  that support our
>> collecting communities efforts.
>> 
>> It is possible that there is an underlying fear that being associated  with
>> a TV show that features non-governmental collecting of meteorites could
>> somehow cast them in a negative light, especially among a handful of archaic
>> 
>> thinking colleagues that might scorn them at the Meteoritical Society
>> meetings.  Remember in junior high school, when a cool kid would talk with
>> a
>> non-cool kid, and all the other cool kids would shun their ill-acting
>> member?
>> Yea, I kind of think that "we are better than they are" thinking  might
>> still happen at some level amongst the "cool" scientists in the field.
>> 
>> I am not sure who all still feels that way in the research community (maybe
>> someone can make a list of them online?) as I have noticed a much more
>> enlightened view from more and more scientists as the years pass.
>> Hopefully
>> that haughty bias will eventually dissolve away as people realize the
>> positive contributions the private collector community makes to the science
>> and
>> that we are all in this great and healthy symbiotic relationship  together.
>> 
>> Steve Arnold
>> of Meteorite Men
>> 
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