[esa-t474] [Fwd: [Fwd: STFC Funding - Young Researchers Letter]]
Bino Maiheu
bino at hep.ucl.ac.uk
Fri Dec 14 09:12:11 GMT 2007
Dear all,
I believe you have all received the news about the drastic funding cuts
in the UK, which particularly affect the ILC R&D. There is a letter
circulating addressed to the secretary of state for innovation,
universities and skills, hoping to collect as much support as possible.
The letter is written on behalf of the UK's young researches, however,
after consultation with the writer of the letter, I think it would be
good for international colleagues to express their support for this
cause as well. Particularly as the UK funding cuts affect the ILC on a
global scale. I'm forwarding the letter below.
Best regards,
bino
-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: James Jackson <James.Jackson at cern.ch>
To: Green M <M.Green at rhul.ac.uk>, P.Dornan at imperial.ac.uk, Peter Watkins
<p.m.watkins at bham.ac.uk>, Janet Carter <jrc1 at hep.phy.cam.ac.uk>, Steve
Playfer <s.m.playfer at ed.ac.uk>, David Saxon <d.saxon at physics.gla.ac.uk>,
Peter Ratoff <p.ratoff at lancaster.ac.uk>, Brian Foster
<B.Foster1 at physics.ox.ac.uk>, Tony Carter <a.a.carter at qmw.ac.uk>, Neil
Spooner <N.Spooner at Sheffield.ac.uk>, Jonathan Butterworth
<J.Butterworth at ucl.ac.uk>, Philip Harris <P.G.Harris at sussex.ac.uk>, Paul
Harrison <P.F.Harrison at warwick.ac.uk>, Nick Brook
<N.Brook at bristol.ac.uk>, Phil Allport <Allport at hep.ph.liv.ac.uk>, Peter
Hobson <Peter.Hobson at brunel.ac.uk>, Jordan Nash <j.nash at imperial.ac.uk>,
Roger Barlow <roger.barlow at manchester.ac.uk>, Steve Lloyd
<s.l.lloyd at qmul.ac.uk>, Norman McCubbin <N.A.McCubbin at rl.ac.uk>, Mike
Charlton <m.charlton at swansea.ac.uk>, Nigel Glover
<e.w.n.glover at durham.ac.uk>, Bryan Webber <webber at hep.phy.cam.ac.uk>,
Richard Ball <r.d.ball at ed.ac.uk>, c.davies at physics.gla.ac.uk,
c.hull at imperial.ac.uk, dij at amtp.liv.ac.uk, g.ross1 at physics.ox.ac.uk,
cts at hep.phys.soton.ac.uk, G.M.SHORE at swansea.ac.uk,
ed.copeland at nottingham.ac.uk, a.doyle at physics.gla.ac.uk,
nsm10 at damtp.cam.ac.uk, P.R.W.Mansfield at durham.ac.uk,
r.d.kenway at ed.ac.uk, Nikolaos.Mavromatos at kcl.ac.uk,
j.mcdonald at lancaster.ac.uk, forshaw at mail.cern.ch, W.J.Spence at qmul.ac.uk,
L.Roszkowski at sheffield.ac.uk, markh at pact.cpes.susx.ac.uk,
jthomas at hep.ucl.ac.uk, Ken Peach <K.Peach1 at physics.ox.ac.uk>,
j.b.dainton at dl.ac.uk, swapan at cockcroft.ac.uk, markl at hep.ucl.ac.uk,
Brian.Cox at cern.ch, C.J.S.Damerell at rl.ac.uk, p.burrows at physics.ox.ac.uk
Subject: STFC Funding - Young Researchers Letter
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:51:37 +0100
I would be grateful if you could circulate the following to all PhD
students, RAs and other 'young researchers' within your department.
Best regards,
James Jackson
-----------------------------------------
Dear Colleagues,
In response to the Government's handling of the £80M deficit in STFC
funding, we have decided to write, on behalf of the UK young researcher
community, to John Denham MP, the Secretary of State for Innovation,
Universities and Skills, on how we believe the funding cuts will impact
on UK science from our perspective.
We would encourage people to read the letter, available from:
http://jacksonj.web.cern.ch/jacksonj/MinisterLetter.pdf
And if you agree with the content, to email me (james.jackson at cern.ch)
with your name, institute and area of research. We are keen to involve
researchers from all disciplines, not just Particle Physics and
Astrophysics, experimental and theoretical.
Please pass this information on to your colleagues so we really can get
some weight behind this letter. Time is critical on this issue, so I
urge people to get in touch and share this information ASAP.
The letter is copied below, for convenience.
Thank you in advance,
James Jackson, Rosie Walton and those who have helped write the letter
and form the campaign the past couple of days.
---------------------------------------------------
The Rt. Hon. John Denham MP
Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
1 Victoria St.
London
SW1H 0ET
Dear Minister,
Over recent years the government's recognition and support of science
has been laudable. Increased investment, support for science education
at all levels, more consultation based on scientific fact in Parliament
and recognition that Science benefits the UK as a whole has culminated
in the UK being recognised as world-leading across a broad range of
research areas.
Particle Physics and Astronomy are fields which excite and inspire young
potential scientists, drawing interest from school level upwards, and
genuinely interest the public as a whole. This point can not be stressed
enough given the current trend in the uptake of science subjects. Most
of us decided to study Physics at degree level as a result of being
inspired by Particle Physics and Astronomy.
Many of us are young, early career researchers in the fields of Particle
Physics and Astronomy; we work in an incredibly challenging environment,
both intellectually and socially, incredibly pressured but self
motivated by a desire to develop new techniques and make new discoveries
with our international colleagues to the highest degree of rigor and
integrity. Many of us also work closely with schools and colleges,
encouraging students that they can pursue a rewarding career in physics.
We recognise that we will not all stay in research in the long term, but
we all have aspirations and goals. Those who do not stay in research
science take their knowledge, skills and international awareness into
the wider community; arguably the best form of knowledge transfer. The
attitude and ability of those moving into new fields has been recognised
repeatedly by leaders in industry and finance.
We are baffled and dismayed by the swinging cuts that are about to do
serious damage to research in Particle Physics and Astronomy.
We understand that the UK's Science Budget will increase by £600M per
year from £3.4B in 2007-08 to nearly £4B in 2010-11. In this context,
the threat to the UK's leading role and recognition in fundamental and
important research for the relatively small amount of £80M seems
incomprehensible. This is dispiriting to the community in general and
sends the message that the Government does not hold fundamental research
in high regard. We try to encourage others into the field, but the
budget cuts will inevitably discourage the uptake of science at all
levels; school, undergraduate and postgraduate.
Along with the threat to UK Particle Physics and Astronomy, it is
recognised that the UK withdrawing support from a number of major
current and future projects will harm the fields globally, and therefore
the prospects for us when we develop and progress in our chosen careers.
Given the recognition within the international community that the UK has
built methodically and carefully, to ruin this reputation essentially
over-night would be a travesty.
We urge you to expediently look into this matter, before long-ranging
damage is done to the community as currently stands, and to the very
future we rely on for the development of new science, new technology,
science education and wide ranging training which can, and does, benefit
UK industry as a direct result of knowledge-based research.
On behalf of the UK young researcher community.
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--
!!!!!
( o o )
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