キャリアニュース2019年５月29日～６月4日

As I boarded the plane to Spain a few months ago, I looked forward to catching some sun and scientific stimulation at a conference in the middle of the dark, wet Swedish winter. I went through my upcoming oral presentation in my head as my 4-year-old ran ahead, searching for our seats. We have traveled together as a dynamic duo ever since my baby was 3 months old, when we set off to Brazil to attend a conference and conduct fieldwork. I am a nontenured researcher looking for a permanent academic position, and travel is crucial for building my reputation and CV. But this trip would be our last for a while, because paying for my child's travel has rendered me a bankrupt botanist. ![Figure][1]</img> ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER > “Paying for my child's travel has rendered me a bankrupt botanist.” As a single parent with no family members nearby, I have no alternative but to bring my child with me when I travel for work—and to pay for it out of my own pocket. The expenses add up qui

For decades, one standardized test has been key to admission to U.S. science graduate programs: the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, a nearly 4-hour marathon testing quantitative, verbal, and writing skills. But the reign of the GRE may be drawing to a close. In response to recent studies showing little correlation between GRE scores and success in graduate school and concern that the test disadvantages underrepresented groups, a growing number of programs are dropping the GRE as an application requirement. ![Figure][1]</img> GRAPHIC: K. LANGIN/ SCIENCE Science examined Ph.D. application requirements for eight disciplines at 50 top-ranked U.S. research universities. The life sciences have led the so-called GRExit push: In 2018, 44% of molecular biology Ph.D. programs stopped requiring GRE scores. That number will increase to at least 50% for the 2019–20 application cycle. In neuroscience and ecology, roughly one-third of programs dropped the GRE requirement between 2