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AS IT IS
Argentinian Scientist Uses TV Game Show Winnings to Finance Research
May 14, 2019
Marina Simian, a medical researcher, poses for a picture in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 9, 2019. (REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian)
Argentina is facing an economic crisis. Government critics have been protesting cuts in spending for scientific research. But those cuts do not mean the country’s research projects have come to a halt.
In fact, one scientist has found an interesting way to raise money: winning money on a television game show.
Marina Simian is a biologist for Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council. Last week, she competed on the local version of the TV program “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”
On the show, people answer questions of general knowledge for a chance to win money. As contestants answer questions correctly, the amount of money they win increases. The questions also become more difficult.
“Who Wants to be a Millionaire” first appeared on television in Britain in 1998. Since then, different versions of it have been broadcast in over 100 other countries.
During her appearance on the show, Marina Simian said she needed the prize money to support her cancer research. Simian is the head of a laboratory researching treatments for breast cancer and other forms of the disease. She was able to answer enough questions correctly on the show to win 500,000 pesos, or $11,000, to pay for laboratory supplies.
“I am not a hero. I used a strategy that was a bit creative or different to get financing for my work group,” Simian said. She spoke to a reporter at the National University of San Martín in Buenos Aires.
In recent years, government support for science research has become less secure in recession-hit Argentina. The value of the Argentinian peso continues to drop against the value of money of other countries. The weaker exchange rate has also weakened people’s spending power. This is especially true when it comes to buying equipment internationally in United States dollars.
It is common for researchers to buy equipment from other countries, using U.S. dollars, because more equipment is available for purchase that way, at lower costs.
Jorge Aguado is a high-level science and technology official for Argentina’s government. He told the Reuters news agency that research budgets have increased since President Mauricio Macri took office in 2015. But he admitted the nation’s economic troubles have caused delays in releasing money for research.
Aguado added that fewer Argentine scientists were returning to the country after doing research overseas. Just 41 returned last year, down from 90 in 2013.
Argentina has three Nobel Prize winners for science, but researchers have long expressed concerns over a lack of resources.
Delays in financial support are why Simian decided to compete on the game show as the nation watched on live television.
She heads a laboratory where she and other researchers study resistance against cancer medications. The project received financial support in 2017. But Simian said the money has been coming in small amounts, and last year she only received half of what was expected.
Simian discussed the problems she faces during her appearance on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” She said she hopes her appearance will bring more attention to the work researchers are doing.
“I cannot believe the impact this has had. I hope it will help us talk about what is happening in science and technology. In the end, that is what matters to us scientists,” Simian told the Reuters news agency.
“We love what we do. We do it with great effort, but we need the minimumconditions to work. If there are no changes in the economic direction for science, I see it becoming very complex.”
I’m Jill Robbins.
Miguel Lo Bianco and Cassandra Garrison reported on this story for the Reuters news service. Pete Musto adapted their report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. How important is it that scientists have dependable financial support for their work? Write to us in the Comments Section.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
strategy – n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time
creative – adj. having or showing an ability to make new things or think of new ideas
impact – n. a powerful or major influence or effect
minimum – adj. least or lowest possible in amount or degree
AS IT IS
Is It Time for Vietnam’s Companies to Go Overseas?
May 14, 2019
Vietnam hopes that as more of its domestic businesses go global, they will bolster the country's brand. (VOA/Ha Nguyen).
The job of the U.S. ambassador in Hanoi is to represent American interests in Vietnam. Next month, the ambassador will try something new. He plans to take Vietnamese businesses to the United States.
Daniel J. Kritenbrink is the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. He and his team have been asking Vietnamese companies to send a business group to Washington, D.C.
“Investing in the United States is one of the best decisions that Vietnamese firms can make, especially as the country’s economy continues to…expand,” Kritenbrink said.
Over the past year, U.S. embassy officials have been holding events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for Vietnamese businesses. Their goal is to persuade the companies to send representatives on the trip, which is planned for June 10 to 12.
The idea for the business delegation comes as Vietnam’s economy is expanding. Many companies are considering if the time has come for them to expand overseas.
For the past 20 years, Vietnam has built a big presence as an export powerhouse. And, as Kritenbrink noted, the United States is the biggest market for those exports.
But many Vietnamese think the country’s businesses should take it to the next step. Instead of just shipping products overseas, they want companies to set up operations and offices around the world.
Some companies have already begun expanding. The electronics business FPT has opened up in Japan and the telecommunications company Viettel is serving markets from Burundi to Peru.
Smaller businesses are also considering the expansion idea. Saigon Innovation Hub, Sihub, announced a program last year to provide support to start-up companies that want to go overseas. The program is named ‘Runway to the World.’
Sihub wants “to gather all local and international resources to realize the…mission of boosting economic growth,” Huynh Kim Tuoc said. He is the managing director of Sihub, which is under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology.
Supporters say international expansion is the next step in the development of businesses in Vietnam. In the 1980s, the Communist government started permitting a market economy to grow.
In the 1990s, the U.S. government lifted its trade restrictions on the country. Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in the early 2000s. It is now a leading exporter of rice, clothing and telephones to the international market.
Vietnam is still reporting increases in its Gross Domestic Product, foreign direct investment (FDI) and FDI-driven manufacturing.
“We are seeing an increasing number of local electronics players expressing interest to venture overseas for growth," said Standard Chartered Bank official Nirukt Sapru.
But there could be problems.
Some observers worry that the growing trade war between China and the United States could hurt Vietnam’s exports. If China’s economy slows down a lot, Vietnamese exports to that country will fall. Others worry about U.S. President Donald Trump’s other tariff fights with countries like Japan and the European Union.
Vietnamese companies hope that going international will both protect their home economy from foreign trade tensions and help build Vietnam’s national brand.
I’m Susan Shand.
Ha Nguyen reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted the report for Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
resource – n. something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth
mission – n. a task or job that someone is given to do
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – n. the total value of the goods and services produced by the people of a nation during a year not including the value of income earned in foreign countries
venture – n. an undertaking that is new or different that usually involves risk
tariff – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country
brand – n. particular kind or type of something
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