Let me give you one example of how important resources are. The NIH until 10 years ago was funding people quite satisfactorily. But I was extremely fortunate beyond that. In 1983, at Columbia, when my work with Richard [Axel] and with Jimmy [Schwartz] was moving along very well, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute approached the three of us and asked us whether we'd form a Howard Hughes Institute Program in Neuroscience at Columbia. And they've reviewed us, the three of us, and they accepted us. The three of us became investigators, and I was asked to become a Senior Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
That was spectacular. First of all it ensured us wonderful support which I still have to this day. I was just renewed a year and-a-half ago. It allowed us to keep Steve Siegelbaum, he was offered a wonderful job elsewhere. We gave him a counter-offer with the Hughes position, which guarantees your salary, and also gives you a good level of support for your research. It allowed us to bring Tom Jessell here, Gary Struhl here. And it's been spectacular as a source of support. So from 1983 on, we've continued to be Hughes investigators which is wonderful. So that has picked up in my case and in Jessell's case, Axel's case, and in Steve's case until recently, the slack that came about as a result of reduction in NIH funding.
