Three Nobel Prizes in Science have been awarded to Argentines. Still, Argentine society does not have a strong interest in scientific issues, especially those related to the natural sciences. For example, of the three major national newspapers, only one publishes a weekly science supplement, Suplemento Futuro in the newspaper Pagina 12, whereas all three have weekly literature supplements. In Argentina there is not a strong connection between scientific research, which is mostly carried out at public institutions, and the development of new technologies. Private industries prefer to buy imported technology rather than to develop their own. Multinational companies import technology developed elsewhere. Although most governments declare that scientific research is a powerful tool for the country's development, the support of scientific institutions is often perceived as an expense rather than an investment. This situation gets worse during periods of recession, like the current one. Public high school science education is very poor. Most students perceive that to pursue a career in the natural sciences, especially in physics, would be too difficult. One is not very likely to find a job as a physicist outside a public institution, where salaries for research scientists are usually very low. Thus, there are few incentives, other than one's own vocation, to follow a career in physics.
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