Monthly Archives: May 2012

Obsession

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

“His character is full of flaws, flittering from one obsessive behaviour to another, and he does this effortlessly.”  Mathematics is back with a vengeance, taking up all of my mental space. The same obsessive behaviour that got me to write … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Goodyear: “This is a moratorium for one year as we seek counsel from the scientific community”

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

I talked to Dr. Ted Hsu, listened to Minister Goodyear, and missed Madame Hélène LeBlanc who has been “promoted” to Industry. I liked what I heard, which reminded me of my long-held view, that it is often more rewarding to deal directly … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Finally, media and Parliament pick up on research funding crisis

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

“Dr. Hsu has been made aware of your blog and is interested in knowing your thoughts on the federal government’s science and technology policy.” I Googled Dr. Ted Hsu, who turned out to be the MP for Kingston and the Islands, … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NSERC’s Discovery Program: Let it bleed?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Is the NSERC leadership bleeding its Discovery program even more than what the government is asking them to? Some say that the termination of the Major Resources Support (MRS) and the Research Tools and Instrument (RTI) programs alone translate into a 20% hit … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

“To promote a deeper understanding of our world”, Canada may need a Jim Simons

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

The news may come as a shock to the Dean of U. Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Roger Martin, and all those who have been preaching to the Canadian government that “what makes a country prosperous is not investment in science and technology,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Elsevier: The beginning of the end?

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

I’ll admit, I got some satisfaction out of telling the editor of the “Journal of Functional Analysis” last week that I will not referee the paper he had sent me because I am boycotting everything Elsevier. I was less thrilled … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

First reactions to the NSERC cuts

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

On the heels of the cheery press releases of the presidents of NSERC and CIHR regarding the 2012 federal budget, announcements about the fate of various programs are now coming out. They all start with, “As part of the Government of … Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments