Research budget Memes

The eternal dilemma of scientific funding in one perfect meme. Research institutions will happily spend $500,000 on a fancy inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer that precisely measures elemental composition down to parts per trillion, but heaven forbid you ask for a decent parking spot or, you know, a living wage. The PI drives the Porsche while the grad students eat ramen in the basement next to the million-dollar equipment. Just another day in the glamorous world of scientific research.