It was no wonder the department and university leadership were so on edge.
In thetest JCR (Journal Citation Reports) global rankings of journal impact factors, Nature was ranked tenth with an impact factor of 40.137, while Nature
Biotechnology was eighth with an impact factor of 41.677.
Based on impact factor alone, the subsidiary journal was even more prestigious
than its parent!
And Roseanne''s team had published two such papers in a single year.
What did that even mean?
Even a workhorse on a farm couldn''t be that productive.
"These kids... they''re really something," Sinir Nelson sighed.
"Normally, these academic achievements would be credited to our university, but..."
He trailed off, his mind drifting back.
He recalled his initial disbelief when he heard Roseanne and her friends were building their ownb.
But then it was built, far better equipped than the university''s own, and its opening ceremony was attended by a host of distinguished figures.
That''s when he knew he''d underestimated Roseanne.
He had been fine with it; a talented student reflected well on the university.
But then Madeleine Payne publicly announced she would waive her author affiliation, meaning all research from Roseanne''s team would belong exclusively to Boundless Lab.
Without her name on the paper, the university had no im to the research.
It was a silent p in the face to the university administration.
Sinir Nelson''s expression had darkened at the time, but as a long-standing president, he''d quicklyposed himself and shown no unprofessionalism.
Later, however, he had unleashed his fury on the vice president and the dean of the Department of Life Sciences.
As for why he didn''t confront the main culprit, Edna Moore... she wasn''t important enough for his direct attention.
The dean, having taken the heat, would naturally deal with Edna himself.
Those in power rarely bothered with the ants at the bottom; they had countless indirect ways to make them suffer.
usible deniability was key: "It was handled by my subordinates; I''m not aware of the specifics."
After venting his anger, Nelson had calmed down.
If Madeleine was going to publicly underminè him, he would simply wait and see what kind of "research" Roseanne''s team could actually
produce.
If they wanted to make the university regret its actions, they''d have to prove they
had the talent for it.
For the next few months, Boundless Lab was quiet.
Roseanne, Mamie, and Scales made no major moves.
The issue seemed to have faded away.
He hadn''t expected that it wasn''t fading away; it was lying in wait for him.
Sinir Nelson''s usually straight back suddenly slumped, his entire demeanor defeated.
After a long moment, he looked up and let out a slow breath.
"I misjudged them... The old saying is true: never underestimate the young."
The vice president ventured, "So... should we do something?"
Nelson waved his hand dismissively. "No. We didn''t offer a hand when they needed
it, so why try to ride their coattails now?"
One could be thick-skinned, but not shameless.
"But... but..."
The vice president clenched his jaw and fists, his entire posture screaming ''unresigned''.
"That''s Nature Biotechnology! Two papers! Two! And who knows how many more there will be!"
"Sinir, I know you have your pride, and the university has its own. We can''t and won''t bow down to students..."
That was a precedent they couldn''t set.
"But the International Academic
Exchange Conference ising up. Why not have Roseanne''s team
represent the university in the biologypetition?
But Sinir Nelson cut him off with a wave.
"Yes, I admit Roseanne''s team
talent. But just because they''ve published two papers in a
vein
prestigious journal doesn''t mean they have what it takes topete."