Caption: Seeding Labs' founder Nina Dudnik speaks with a visiting African fellow during a laboratory tour., Credit: Anne Allmeling
Image by: Anne Allmeling 
Seeding Labs' founder Nina Dudnik speaks with a visiting African fellow during a laboratory tour. 

Nonprofit Narrows Science Gap Between U.S. And Africa

From: Curt Nickisch
Length: 00:04:19

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The gap between science in the U.S. and Africa is as wide as the ocean between them. But a nonprofit startup is trying to be a good Samaritan with America's scientific surplus. Seeding Labs in Boston collects used scientific instruments and donates them to universities in developing nations. Recently, it has also begun training fellowships for foreign scientists. Read the full description.

African_lab_equipment_-_prx_small The gap between science in the U.S. and Africa is as wide as the ocean between them. But a nonprofit startup is trying to be a good Samaritan with America's scientific surplus.  Seeding Labs in Boston collects used scientific instruments and donates them to universities in developing nations.

Researcher Nina Dudnik started Seeding Labs after working for a development organization in the Ivory Coast, where she saw her fellow researchers spend much of their time washing and drying disposable test tubes.  "You can be the most well-trained scientist in the world," Dudnik says.  "But without the tools, you cannot do what you’re trained to do."

Seeding Labs has recently expand its mission to ship scientific knowledge abroad by running training fellowships for foreign scientists.

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Piece Description

The gap between science in the U.S. and Africa is as wide as the ocean between them. But a nonprofit startup is trying to be a good Samaritan with America's scientific surplus.  Seeding Labs in Boston collects used scientific instruments and donates them to universities in developing nations.

Researcher Nina Dudnik started Seeding Labs after working for a development organization in the Ivory Coast, where she saw her fellow researchers spend much of their time washing and drying disposable test tubes.  "You can be the most well-trained scientist in the world," Dudnik says.  "But without the tools, you cannot do what you’re trained to do."

Seeding Labs has recently expand its mission to ship scientific knowledge abroad by running training fellowships for foreign scientists.

Broadcast History

19 September 2011, WBUR-FM (Boston).

Transcript

SUGGESTED LEAD:
Science is expensive. That’s easy to forget in in the United States because we have so much of it. But sometimes, when you have too much of something, you don’t appreciate it and you waste it.

Producer Curt Nickisch has the story of a non-profit startup in Boston that’s trying to be a good Samaritan with the nation’s scientific surplus.

STORY:
FADE IN ROOM NAT UNDER FOLLOWING NARRATION

You know that term for term for Boston: the Hub City? Well Nina Dudnik pictures the hub differently.

DUDNIK: We tend to think of Boston as a place where scientific expertise comes inward here. Right? We gather it all in here. And I like to think about how Boston can function as a hub for sending scientific expertise outward. To build that greater global scientific community.

CROSSFADE ROOM NAT TO LAB TOUR NAT

To build that greater global scientific community, Nina Dudnik starte...
Read the full transcript

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

Science is expensive. That’s easy to forget in in the United States because we have so much of it. But sometimes, when you have too much of something, you don’t appreciate it and you waste it.

Producer Curt Nickisch has the story of a nonprofit startup in Boston that’s trying to be a good Samaritan with the nation’s scientific surplus.

OUTRO:

Related Website

www.seedinglabs.org