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- Head of UBC Mathematics: The end of an era
- Nicole Tomczak-Jaegermann 1945-2022
- UBC Campus Vision 2050, in a word, lacks vision
- Louis Nirenberg (1925-2020)
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- Shiny, happy, oblivious science
- NSERC has lost its bearings … again
- The Learning & Research of the UBC Board of Governors (II)
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- A research community at the mercy of a leaderless NSERC
- A busy first four months on the UBC Board of Governors
- Academic publishing in the time of sanctions and boycotts
- Maurice Sion: 1927 – 2018
- Robert M. Miura: 1938 – 2018
- When the Walls of Governance Come Crumbling Down
- Why I am voting against the tuition increases for domestic students
- Resignation of the director of the Wall Institute: The reaction
- Why I am resigning from the directorship of the Wall institute
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Author Archives: Ghoussoub
Pillage California. Pillage England. Pillage …
Alex Usher, President, Higher Education Strategy Associates, is echoing a theme I touched upon here a few weeks ago. But he is better at it! I talked about how Canada is in a global war for talent. He wants “our … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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Tu quoque fili
Gordon Campbell is not gone yet, but the Business council of British Columbia can hardly wait to start dismantling one of his main legacies. It is urging the Liberals to “pause and re-set” their climate policies — noting that “the … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
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While Goodyear reviews, others play Santa
Industry Minister Clement has announced a $300 million investment in a research and development project by aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada. The investment is expected to “create more than 700 highly skilled jobs during the project work phase, … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
3 Comments
A post-secondary education system with no arbitrage
The British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education surprised local post-secondary educators this month when it declared a six-month moratorium, starting Sept. 1, on new degree programs, saying it wants to take time to assess the province’s educational needs.
Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy
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Higgs Boson not confirmed yet, but Mathematics of salt is
Jonathan Borwein just sent me these priceless photos of the Halaman Ferguson structure “under construction”.
Posted in Honouring friends
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The new poster boy of mathematics
Any one who has walked the streets of the Latin quarter in Paris knows about the special reverence with which the French treat their scholars. The streets carry the names of no other but Laplace, Fourier, Monge, Poincaré, Curie, Perrin, … Continue reading
Posted in Honouring friends
1 Comment
A Higgs boson concealed in your award!
In response to my post, “Buckling under the weight of an award”, David Brydges wrote, “Someone must have planted a Higgs Boson in your award! After all, particle physicists believe that it is the origin of mass.”
Posted in Honouring friends
2 Comments
How come we never talk enough about death?
I attended yesterday a memorial service for Virginia Greene (1944-2010). I didn’t know her well. I had met her on the UBC Board of Governors that she joined about a year ago. She was already frail and suffering the effect … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Honouring friends
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Buckling under the weight of an award
Last Sunday, the Canadian Mathematical Society had a banquet in downtown Vancouver, where they officially gave out their annual prizes. I was honored to receive the David Borwein Distinguished Career Award.
Posted in Honouring friends
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NSERC Discovery Grants III: The Stockholm syndrome
The most important new information that Isabelle Blain provided, and the most validating of NSERC’s new evaluation system, was the result of a survey –conducted by NSERC’s staff– of the panelists who dealt with both systems (from 2008-2010). They seem … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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NSERC Discovery Grants II: On intentions and consequence (Old vs. new)
Of the many recommendations that NSERC received in 2007 from both the internal and international reviews, they picked the one that asks, “to separate the process of assessing scientific or engineering merit from assigning funding”. Fair enough!
Posted in R&D Policy
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NSERC’s Discovery Grants I: Of banality and burden (Agendas and consequences)
As promised, here is a first installment of several posts I am preparing about the Discovery Grant program after my public debate with Isabelle Blain, NSERC’s VP for Research Grants & Scholarships. This first one will give the background behind … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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A President and a Scholar
I have always been puzzled by my own self: Principled, yet pragmatic; Old-fashioned liberal (or is it lefty?), yet at ease with the corporate types; Intellectual provocateur, yet deliberately respectful; Competitive, yet a consummate team player; Decisive, yet not a … Continue reading
Posted in Honouring friends
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The virtues of the oil sands
The Public Policy Forum recently held a meeting in Calgary to explore resource industries’ productivity, sustainability and competitiveness. According to Elizabeth Cannon, President of the University of Calgary (“Resource sector may lack flash, but it stars as an innovator”), the … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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Turning Canada into, and branding it as, a hyper-skilled society?
Canada is in a global war for talent, yet there is a crisis in our graduate and postgraduate educational system. Our government is committed to create “the best-educated, most-skilled and most flexible workforce in the world”, yet for the 10th … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy
1 Comment
Another “Sputnik” moment: The Chinese are coming, the Chinese are coming
“Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators” is the most viewed and most emailed story in today’s NY Times. In the Program for International Student Assessment, known as PISA, Shanghai students outscored all other countries in reading as well as … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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They might hurt us if they know how much we make
Another feature of Bill C-470 (see previous post) is that it contains compensation disclosure provisions –with a floor of $100,000– that are aimed at improving the accountability and transparency of charities. The AUCC finds the following problem with this provision:
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The hidden value of the CERC program
Bill C-470 drafted by Liberal MP for Mississauga East-Cooksville, Albina Guarnieri, passed first reading in Parliament in October. It was supposed to be a call to arms against charities whose salary structures make “a mockery of the concept of a … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
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Looking for a ‘Sputnik’ moment – Not in Canada
Practicing for his upcoming state of the union speech in front of teachers and students at a community college in Winston-Salem, Virginia, U.S. President Obama called Monday for more spending on education, innovation and infrastructure to ensure a future where … Continue reading
Posted in R&D Policy
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Be merry and solve problems
Researchers at Northwestern University found that people were more likely to solve word puzzles with sudden insight when they were amused, having just seen a short comedy routine by Robin Williams. Not so when they’d seen a scary or boring … Continue reading
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Piece of Mind 