Mathematical Instruments

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Ghoussoub

Fred von Heymann's avatarMathblogging.org -- the Blog

This post is part of the series Mathematical Instruments in which we introduce you to some of the math bloggers listed on our site. Today:

Nassif Ghoussoub — Piece of Mind

Apart from “Piece of Mind”, any places like other blogs, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, etc. we can find you on?

I do also Twitter but nothing else. I have another “UBC Board of Governors” blog connected to the University Housing Action Plan. It is now dormant, as the plan has passed. It is now waiting for another issue to pop up.

Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?  E.g., Where are you coming from (both geographically and philosophically)? What is your (scientific) background?

I seem to be from “everywhere”. Born in Africa, raised in the Middle East (Lebanon), Graduate studies in Paris, Postdoctoral work in the US and now at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (for 3…

View original post 404 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ted Odell

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Ghoussoub

gowers's avatarGowers's Weblog

tedodell

I was shocked and saddened to hear about a week ago that Ted Odell, a mathematician to whom I owe a lot, died suddenly on January 9th of a heart attack while he was travelling to this year’s joint AMS/MAA meeting in San Diego. He was 65, but seemed a lot younger.

Ted was a world leader in Banach space theory, and in particular in the infinite-dimensional theory. The wry and slightly enigmatic smile you see in the photo was extremely characteristic: if I imagine Ted, I automatically imagine him with exactly that smile. Less clear from the photo, though perhaps it can be guessed from the camera angle, is that he was extremely tall: he belonged to a handful of mathematicians I know who make me feel short (Tom Sanders and Alex Scott being two others).

I first met Ted when I went to my first ever conference, in…

View original post 3,942 more words

Posted in Honouring friends | Leave a comment

Re-allocation among disciplines at NSERC: Bibliometrics or a deliberative process?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Ghoussoub

Five years ago, NSERC’s officials rightly challenged the status quo by upholding, “that the level of a grant should be commensurate with merit, regardless of the applicant’s granting history with NSERC.” They don’t however seem to be in a hurry to tackle the equally important but more thorny issue of doing away with the blatant historical biases surrounding the funding record of the various disciplines within the Discovery Grant Program. It is of course a tougher task to openly recognize and redress historic aberrations such as –for example– the one perpetuating average grants in Mathematics and Statistics at a fraction of those in Computer science and at almost half of the average in all fields ($16,816 to $33,691 in 2011). It requires more guts to do so, but NSERC is determined to take up the challenge. It is now consulting about criteria for a new re-allocation process and wants you to be involved. So does “Piece of Mind”, as the stakes are high. Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | 3 Comments

The “Canada Excellence Research Chairs” program is a bad idea

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Ghoussoub

“Perhaps some of the new boutique programs or politicized one-offs so beloved by governments will enable importation of a current or soon-to-be Nobel laureate. One can dimly imagine the cacophony of misguided self-congratulation that would accompany that ersatz milestone. In reality, the generation of a succession of home-grown winners of pinnacle research prizes is the measure that matters most. That pattern would signal breadth, depth and sustainability of excellence.” That was David Naylor, the President of the University of Toronto. He was –no doubt– commenting on the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) program, way before UT was shut out (mercifully, willfully or grudgingly?) from the latest round of announcements. This was also happening just as the country was being informed of the “thanks but no thanks” of Patrik Rorsman declining the $10M chair” at the University of Alberta, less than a year after his appointment there. Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

In memory of Hugh C. Morris

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Ghoussoub

hughmorrislecture-series“It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that in the early morning of December 23, my beloved father, and a man whom I know you knew very well, passed away.”  That was Sue informing me yesterday of the passing of her dad, Hugh Morris, the business leader, the mining executive, and the philanthropist. And yes, Hugh Morris also happened to be my mentor and my friend, an unlikely state of affairs for an academic/mathematician who has nothing to do with industry, with mining of any kind, or with philanthropy. Continue reading →

Posted in Banff International Research Station, Honouring friends | 1 Comment

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Ghoussoub

IMG_1120

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NSERC, Math, Stats, Innovation and all that jazz

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Ghoussoub

Last weekend, representatives of Canada’s mathematical and statistical sciences community presented NSERC’s President, Suzanne Fortier, with a “Long Range Plan.” Entitled Solutions for a Complex Age, the report – commissioned by NSERC – is the result of two years of consultations and deliberations under the guidance of a prominent Canadian statistician, Nancy Reid. The aim was to establish a unified vision of priorities and directions for the development of research in the mathematical and statistical sciences in Canada. The writing is crisp, the presentation professional (Thanks Harriet Gorham), and the pages are glossy. On the surface, the report seems to timidly and cautiously embrace the status quo. There are however several new elements in the document that are worth discussing. Continue reading →

Posted in Banff International Research Station, R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the “Mathematics of Planet Earth Initiative”

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Ghoussoub

Marc Garneau, our astronaut MP, who saw from outer space how beautiful, fragile and precious our planet was, didn’t do it. Ted Hsu, our Physicist MP, who witnessed its launch last week-end in Montreal, didn’t talk about it. Kennedy Stewart, Official Opposition Critic for Science & Technology missed it. It even escaped the attention of the otherwise omnipresent Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology. My intention here is not to dump on these guys, who may or may not have been properly and timely informed, but to single out and salute Susan Truppe, Conservative MP for London North Centre. Continue reading →

Posted in Banff International Research Station, Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

After the students’ riots: “Nous, chercheurs et techniciens québécois …”

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Ghoussoub

What do you expect the mood to be when you are sharing a banquet table with the Rector of UQAM, the President of Bishop, the former Rector of U. Montréal, a director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQNT), and the President of NSERC? Gloomy is the answer. That was last Sunday, before Quebec researchers (so far 6833 of them) started signing a petition asking the Quebec  government not to proceed with the planned cut to the FRQNT. Continue reading →

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

“Stock options” in the business of building research capacity

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Ghoussoub

Diamond-Jubilee-Medal-hrA highlight of my latest visit to Ottawa was a reunion with my friends and former brothers-in-arms, Don Dawson and Luc Vinet, at the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Ceremony. Our role in founding the MITACS network back in another millennium (1998), was obviously the main reason for us being there. I hadn’t seen Don and Luc for a while but wasn’t surprised to learn how neither the years nor the heavy responsibilities had managed to slow them down in their drive and in their research. More than 10 years after “his retirement”, Don’s research and graduate training programs are still going full blast. As for Luc, he was back doing research with a vengeance after having completed his term as Recteur of the Université de Montréal, following a 5-year stint as Provost at McGill. What a humbling experience it is to have to compare notes with these guys.

Continue reading →

Posted in Honouring friends | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Embedded” in Ottawa

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Ghoussoub

I am getting to understand the risks (and rewards) of “embedded journalism.”  Less than 24 hours into my trip to Ottawa, I started to feel uncharacteristically mollified, dangerously neutralized, and ridiculously guilty. Ever since I met with Gary Goodyear, Minister of State  for Science and Technology, conferred with Suzanne Fortier, President of NSERC, and Isabelle Blain, her Vice President for Research Grants and Scholarships, and reminisced with the incoming –but not yet announced– Director of the NCE program, I keep wondering: Have I been too tough on these guys? Continue reading →

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

Sixty already?!

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Ghoussoub

For some, it is hard to believe: It is the hair! exclaimed once Shing-Tung Yau. I cannot believe it either, though for different reasons. And now that super-natural and sub-natural forces have failed to stop me from (almost) getting there, I am overwhelmed. My friends, colleagues and former students have decided to throw a party for me, the only kind that mathematicians know how to throw for each other! Continue reading →

Posted in Honouring friends | Tagged | Leave a comment

Blame it on BIRS!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Ghoussoub

Where have you been? How come you haven’t been blogging lately, wrote a “Piece of Mind” loyalist. Why weren’t you at the PDE seminar, a colleague inquired. “On attend ton papier avec impatience,” wrote the editor of a special volume three weeks after I missed the deadline. “If more time elapses it becomes difficult for me to take a negative decision, in case you eventually tell me that the paper does not deserve to be published,” pleaded the editor-in-chief of a respectable journal. The only person who seems to be relieved by my MIA status is my son, who is not missing my “oppressive” supervision of his daily intake of high school math and physics. Blame it on BIRS! Yes, it is crunch time at the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery. This year’s competition for the 2014 program received 168 proposals submitted by 382 applicants. The selection process involved 800 evaluations by 412 international peer reviewers. Now that we are done for this year, it is good to describe the story behind the story of BIRS.

Continue reading →

Posted in Banff International Research Station | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

“We, the researchers in Europe … “

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Ghoussoub

41,432 European researchers have already signed the following petition for the attention of the EU heads of state or government –1616 of them in the last hour alone. This follows the open letter of 42 European Nobel Laureates and 5 Fields Medallists, which was recently published in European newspapers. The main objective of the petition, which is coordinated by the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), is to protect research funding under Horizon 2020, and in particular for the European Research Council (ERC). Everyone is welcome to Sign the petition! Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NSERC president explains recent program decisions and agency’s evolution

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Ghoussoub

We are grateful to “RE$EARCH MONEY” for granting “Piece of Mind” the permission to post the following exclusive interview they have recently conducted with the President of NSERC, Suzanne Fortier. The original article is accessible to “RE$EARCH MONEY” subscribers on the website:  www.researchmoneyinc.com Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | 1 Comment

Canada’s young scholars to contend with NSERC’s new dirigisme

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Ghoussoub

NSERC has finally responded to the multiple articles, blogs and editorials criticizing the declining success rate in its postdoctoral fellowship program. It is unfortunate that they chose to do so through a media outlet that is sitting behind a pay wall. Under the title “NSERC’s overall spending on post doctoral fellowships is increasing despite criticism”, the magazine “Re$earch Money” relates NSERC’s  official position, quotes Isabelle Blain, VP for research grants and scholarships, and includes a couple of NSERC generated tables that we analyse below. The new calculus used by NSERC to explain their numbers reveals a new dirigisme that our young scholars will be contending with for a while.  Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

“You hit the jackpot!”

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Ghoussoub

That’s what I am told lately, over and over again. That the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) has hit the jackpot, because the man who has just accepted to chair its Board of Directors is no ordinary man. To have Doug Mitchell commit to support and promote Canadian mathematical sciences through BIRS is destined to be a tremendous boon to the world’s scientific community. Continue reading →

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

A historic institutional housing action plan at UBC

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Ghoussoub

Cambridge and Oxford Universities have one. The Weizmann Institute has one, and so does Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Columbia, Stanford, UCLA and UC-Irvine. And in a Canadian first, in a move that will differentiate UBC from any other university in Canada, UBC has now one. Indeed, the UBC Board of Governors has just approved the institutional housing action plan for its faculty, staff and students as proposed by the “Community Planning Task Group” that I have been chairing for the past 18 months. The new plan, which is arriving not one minute too soon, addresses simultaneously several challenges that this fast-rising university is currently dealing with. I have written before about the factors and circumstances that led to the development of such a plan (also here). It is high time to talk about the solutions that the Board of Governors is now offering. Here are some of them: Continue reading →

Posted in Board of Governors, UBC Housing Action Plan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quite unusual for an Ottawa Monday morning dump

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Ghoussoub

As always, politicians were crowding the Monday morning issue of the Hill Times newspaper. But today’s was different from any other day. No less than four politicians were either making “major” statements about federal plans for funding R&D, or taking the time to write about it. One wonders why we are witnessing this unusual surge of science-related interest in Ottawa’s political discourse. Are the pollsters showing something out there?  Are both sides of the aisle sensing that the anti-science labels –illustrated by the latest “death of evidence”, “the assault on reason”, or the “attack on knowledge” metaphors– are sticking with the general public? Let’s briefly summarize the essence of what they said. Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, R&D Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The puck stops where?

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Ghoussoub

“NSERC makes decisions on how to best utilize the resources allocated to them by the government.” That was Gary Goodyear, the federal minister responsible for science and technology. He was not responding to our post of last week in which we ask for accountability regarding the decision to gut the postdoctoral opportunities for young Canadian scholars. He was pretty close though, as he was responding to a very related matter: a report released yesterday by the federal New Democrats, which addresses the termination of two other NSERC programs, that traditionally support university sponsored research: the Major Resources Support (MRS) and the Research Tools and Instrument (RTI) programs. The President of the University of Toronto doesn’t seem to agree with the minister. Continue reading →

Posted in R&D Policy | 6 Comments