Scientists around the world, Canada offer lab space to colleagues affected by U.S. travel ban

"This is how science works. We share ideas, we share thoughts, and we share reagents in some cases," said Sabine Elowe, a cancer researcher and associate professor at Laval University.

Maria Leptin, the director of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) said U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban last week had affected scientific community in the whole world.

"People who will, say, be doing their PhD in a U.S. lab may go home to their family for a wedding in Iran or may go to a conference and then they can't get back in. They can't get back to their home lab. They can't complete their project," CBCNews reports said.

When EMBO launched its Science Solidarity campaign, requesting its 1,500 mostly-European members to assist those affected by the ban, more than 700 academics around the world including Canada, responded offering to share lab, office space and even accommodations in some cases.

"This is a movement that's really just to ease the pain of those caught up in this ludicrous situation," said Leptin.

Elowe said the U.S. travel ban had limited the careers for some of her colleagues and students.

"In cases it's not the scientists themselves that are directly affected, but they cannot take their spouse with them. So what do you do now? Do you break up a family or do you try to find another solution to be able to do science?"

(Reported by Asha Bajaj, Image Maria Leptin: Wikipedia)