David Sirbasku was extremely honored to be appointed as a reviewer for the Scientist Exchange Program, sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The program, which has been in existence since the late 1950s, helped scientists expand their horizons by working in other countries. David Sirbasku was always a great supporter of the exchange program as he realized how important this was so the United States scientific community in particular. For the U.S., an open exchange of information has been crucial to offset the rising costs of education and training within the country’s borders. In addition, it is the ultimate gesture of world partnership to share scientific discoveries. As David Sirbasku always said, it was a win-win for all involved.

David Sirbasku was asked to review both the scientists who were applying to travel abroad and those who wanted to study in the U.S. The programs that he was responsible for included the Science Fellowships. A NATO fellowship allowed over 1,000 scientists to participate and receive funds for their tuition, living expenses and travel. Most of these scientists were still enrolled in degree programs and David Sirbasku would go over their application with a fine-toothed comb.

“I was always looking at the applications with a critical eye but sometimes it was the more unusual ones that caught my eye. Let’s face it, most scientists are incredibly serious and are going to plow ahead and take advantage of any opportunity. Sometimes I found the ones who really wanted this opportunity because they were pickier. I always felt good when I found someone who I knew was really going to appreciate it,” said David Sirbasku.

David Sirbasku was also tasked with reviewing the Collaborative Research Grants. He had so much experience in this arena as a grant reviewer, he easily thumbed through the new proposals along with the renewals. The collaborations that resulted from these grants were, of course, international.

“When a Collaborative Research Grant was awarded, scientists who had partnerships visited each other’s labs for up to four weeks to hash out any problems and their plans for moving forward with their projects,” said David Sirbasku.