Inside science: Selling and upsizing the meal

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By now, everyone who cares is aware of exactly what I want to do: you can't shut me up about this stuff. The application for funding is on its way in. But does the project really fit the institutional boundary conditions, and does it stand a chance of being funded?

If we recall part one of this series, I said that the science needs to be broken up into bite-sized chunks, each of which will turn out a good PhD or provide support for a post doc. I've done that: three good projects, each of which should succeed no matter what experimental results they obtain. In that sense, they are "safe." But, they also have elements that allow us to go for gold, producing results that will turn heads. In short, I think I've got a good balanced program in the works.

On the other hand, the laser system that enables it all seems... complicated. Certainly, the early work is going to involve a lot of set up time. And that should worry me, the funding agency, and the institution. I'm not going into this blind, however. I can't walk into a showroom and order a laser system, like you might a car. "Hi, I'd like the red M3 with the boy-racer body kit, low profile tires, mags, and red brakes. Oh, and because this is on the government ticket, please make it a diesel."