Monthly Archives: March 2011

Engaging the UBC Housing Action Plan

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ghoussoub

The British Columbia government has recently approved the amendments to the UBC Land Use Plan that were submitted by the Board of Governors. The plan calls, among other things, for a densification of the university land, in order to address … Continue reading →

Posted in Board of Governors, UBC Housing Action Plan | 1 Comment

Is Canada’s research strategy too politicized?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Budget 2011 continues a governmental pattern of undervaluing basic research, bypassing the granting councils, targeting funding to specific areas, and giving preferential treatment and mega-bucks to selected scientific projects and institutions without competition or peer review. Some argue that all … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 2 Comments

When Orwell meets Baden-Powell at the NRC

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Alberta Research Council culture goes National! Over the course of his 12-year tenure as President and CEO of the Alberta Research Council (ARC), John McDougall steered the organization towards “delivering and aligning science and technology solutions to industry’s needs”. Less … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 2 Comments

A business dean’s rant: Ignorance of the facts or pure “Chutzpah”?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Ghoussoub

“What makes a country prosperous is not investment in science and technology. It is businesses producing high paying jobs by having unique products and processes that a customer needs”. This is from Roger Martin, a former management consultant, who is … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 7 Comments

The gentle giant … of Mathematics

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Every mathematician knows that John Willard Milnor is the stuff of legend. But on March 30, 2003, I realized that the legend of John Milnor had spilled out, already a long time ago,  from our rarefied world community of research … Continue reading →

Posted in Banff International Research Station, Honouring friends | Leave a comment

The Banff International Research Station

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Ghoussoub

… for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is moving to a new home at the Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta. The TransCanada Pipelines Pavilion will be totally dedicated to BIRS scientific activities.

Posted in Banff International Research Station | 8 Comments

How much of Japan’s suffering can we comprehend?

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Not much. “However horrifying the pictures, however moving the reports, there’s a limit to how much suffering people can take on board – and it’s extremely low.” Writing about any other subject now is nothing but an unbearable display of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Who is shredding SR&ED?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Ghoussoub

The fattest course on the menu of Canada’s federal support for R&D is SR&ED, the $4-billion “Scientific Research and Experimental Development” tax credit program. So many people have been beating on SR&ED lately, which make you wonder whether it still have … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 6 Comments

The one-two punch of mathematicians and … upcoming good news

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Ghoussoub

On my last visit to Toronto a couple of weeks ago, I had a long discussion with fellow mathematician and friend, Jim Colliander. “ I love this country, but …” Jim was clearly distressed about the future of research in … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

Are universities becoming family affairs?

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Upon assuming his post at a new university, the freshly arrived senior administrator had an unusual request from his staff: he wanted a list of all married couples and other family-related members on the faculty. He surely had no intention … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | 4 Comments

The University as a New Media superpower

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Mainstream media institutions, which traditionally dominate the communication channels, often need to solicit and buy “content”, whether it is news or analysis. On the other hand, universities, which sit on, and constantly generate, a wealth of information and “content” must … Continue reading →

Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, R&D Policy | 3 Comments

Who is standing up for Canada’s basic research?

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Innovation is “not a linear progression of basic science into new products“. It requires “patience, persistence and investment”. This is from a call from the League of European Research Universities for the European Union to make substantial long-term investments in … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 7 Comments

Tri-council continues to move funds from discovery to industry

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Here we go again! A headline from the latest NSERC-Contact newsletter. CREATE adds industrial and international opportunities “The CREATE program will have two new dimensions in the 2012 competition. In keeping with NSERC’s goal to give students the opportunity to learn … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 9 Comments

Universities’ Soviet style PR will be saved by social media – Part II

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Ghoussoub

As I was getting ready to work on the second installment for this topic, I stumbled on “Harvard Professors’ Consulting Firm Helped Qaddafi Polish His Image”. Go figure! But let’s not get distracted by this disturbing yet unsurprising story. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | 1 Comment

Universities’ Soviet style PR will be saved by social media – Part I

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Ghoussoub

The most discussed subject in university board meetings, after finance and capital projects of course, is most likely to be communication and its connection to public relations. Universities know that they are failing at it, yet they don’t seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | 5 Comments

PPP: Plagiarism, Philanthropy and Politics

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Last September, I received a request to referee a mathematics paper that was submitted for publication to a serious European journal.  I admit that I detest when such requests arrive, but …. the editor-in-chief is a friend that I admire … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | 1 Comment

The Kafkaesque grip of bureaucrats on Canada’s peer review and granting process

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Ghoussoub

The observer couldn’t believe what she was hearing as she watched one of the subgroups consisting of 5 panelists in NSERC’s new conference model. “The applicant has a couple of papers in the Journal of … . Does anyone know … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | 13 Comments

Which bureaucracies will survive the new media age?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Ghoussoub

Tony Clement tweeted the government’s opposition to the latest CRTC ruling on usage-based billing for Internet services. I may have learned about it before his Public Affairs department did. Everyone talks about Wikileaks and the role of social media in … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | 5 Comments