Research and Brazil

It has been an interesting adventure so far. On one hand, I have been really impressed with the advanced state of science in Brazil. As I understand it, the State of Sao Paulo is an especially good place to conduct research as the State constitution guarantees that 1% of the budget go towards research. One of the researchers here recently said that the amount of money that Sao Paulo invests in research is equivalent to the amount that the Brazilian federal government invests in the remaining 25 states. So, life is good as a scientist in Sao Paulo.

One the other hand, I have also been impressed at the amount of red tape there exists in the country. We began the process of importing my research equipment back in April and it has still not arrived. Last week we had the startling news that all of the major equipment was approved for importation, but none of the electrical cords, data wires, or tubes were approved :-0. We finally resolved this situation and the equipment was picked up from NYC on Friday - more than 4 months after we started the paperwork. My host suggests that this is partially due to the government's suspicion of developed countries using developing countries like Brazil as a dumping ground for their defunct equipment and garbage. Thus, any item that is not brand new is treated with suspicion. That said, even she is started at the amount of time this has taken.


On Monday 9/19 we leave for Rio Branco to do our field research. As you can see, it doesn't seem like one of the most welcoming places on the planet to live. On top of the weather, there seems to be a nagging little problem called malaria. This is a strange issue, as an American coming down I was told at every turn that I would need to take a battery of malarial prophylaxis drugs to avoid contracting the nasty little parasite. However, the Brazilians researchers state that the anti-malarial drugs have really nasty side-effects, and that the risk of contracting malaria is far smaller than the risk of side effects. S0, uniformly they have said that they do not take them when traveling to the Amazon. When in Brazil ....