A Breakthrough Vision
For centuries scientists have tinkered with the tools of visualization, designing better microscopes, telescopes, lenses, and lasers capable of seeing—to put a slight twist on the words of poet Robert Frost—out far or in deep.
Today, scientists can watch as proteins are born. They can visualize the social networks inside cells. They are drawing a clearer picture of how mutation and disease hobble and defeat the molecular machines that keep cells alive. With each passing day, what was once invisible or only barely recognizable comes into focus.
A Global Perspective
Science is a multinational, cross-cultural endeavor that connects researchers across the borders created by discipline and continent. Whether focused on diseases that pose major challenges for the developing world—such as cholera, malaria, and a deadly co-epidemic of HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis—or on supporting scientists in specific geographic regions, HHMI’s programs in international science have exemplified that truth.
An Eye for Education
“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”
–Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Though written long ago, these words reflect a very modern educational philosophy—that the drive to discover inspires learning. That guiding principle is evident in HHMI’s science education grants to individuals and institutions, which are transforming the way science is taught at every tier of academia—from grade school to graduate school, and beyond.
A Collaborative Focus
Multidisciplinary collaborations that call on the expertise of everyone involved can make transformative discoveries possible. From a multifaceted approach to mapping the fly brain at Janelia Farm Research Campus to the collective potential of 50 early career scientists encouraged to take risks and bridge disciplines, HHMI has made a sustained commitment to innovative collaborations.
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