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FELIX Friday 15 October 2010
SCIENCE
Photo by Thomas Welch
and consolidate it.” Yet, perhaps the most damming criticism of the UK government’s plan to cut science research funding came not from a world leader, or even from a scientist, journalist or politician, but instead came simply from the daughter of a recent Alzheimer’s victim. Vivienne Hill, whose mother died in April, was speaking at the rally as a champion of the UK Alzheimer’s Research Trust, claims that there is a dirty little secret that the government does not want us to know. The UK is currently second only to Holland in terms of the proportion of its population who give money to medical research charities. This fact has, in her opinion, led the government to believe that any cuts made to funding medical research will be compensated for by the generosity of UK citizens.
Protesters came prepared with slogans, some more witty than others should the cuts be as severe as many analysts predict, there is a danger that our top scientists will start to leave the UK for greener pastures: pastures where science research receives the funding it so fully deserves. This danger is accentuated by the fact that, at a time when the UK is considering cutting its science research budget, other countries are pumping money into science as a way to boost their economic recovery. Barack Obama for one has made his feelings about the necessity of wellfunded research quite clear: “At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in sci-
ence, that support for research is somehow a luxury at moments defined by necessities. I fundamentally disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been before.” French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also supportive of funding science research in a speech made this summer: “Science is, I am well aware, a fragile enterprise and scientists must be defended against obscurantism, fanaticism, wilful ignorance and contempt for the truth. The economic downturn should not prompt us to postpone investment in science, but rather to bring it forward
“Science is more essential for our prosperity. our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been before.” She says, “The government simply expects the public to pick up the slack.” Plainly, such exploitation of public kindness cannot be tolerated. Within a matter of just two weeks, the ‘Science is Vital’ campaign managed to mobilise over 2,000 supporters for last weekend’s rally and its online petition now has over 28,000 signatures. By the time this goes to press, the group will also have lobbied parliament. However, the scientists’ pleas may still prove to have fallen on deaf ears
Photo by Thomas Welch
The crowd gathered outside the Treasury with high profile campaigners
when George Osborne‘s Governmental Spending Review is published next Thursday. Yet, at least one thing is for sure; UK scientists can no longer be accused of taking refuge in their ‘ivory towers’ and refusing to engage in public debate. Perhaps the most important point to come out of the rally is that UK scientists have taken their first major step in engaging and communicating their work to the public at large. In the past, the science community has hardly been held up as a paragon of good PR skills. Yet, it would now seem that more and more scientists are finally realising that their ability to communicate with, and be held accountable by the public at large is an increasingly important element of the role they have to play in today’s modern liberal democracy. At the very least, the rally induced a few translucent-skinned science geeks to leave the lab and seek new frontiers and horizons in the fabled world of ‘outdoors’. Who knows, one day they may even return?
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Imperial researchers in Eureka top 100 50
Prof Sir John Pendry The highest placed Imperial researcher. Prof Pendry is Chair in Theoretical Solid State Physics in the Dept. of Physics. Prof Pendry’s research is into perfect lenses and metamaterials.
The Deputy Rector for Research at Imperial College, Peter Knight is a Professor of Quantum Mechanics in the Dept. of Physics. He is also chair of Defence Science Advisory Council. 60
Prof Sir Peter Knight
The third Physicist from Imperial College, Prof Virdee works in the High Energy Physics group in the Dept. of Physics.
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Prof David Nutt A champion of sciencebased drug policy, Prof. Nutt holds a Chair in Neuropsychopharmocology.
He also works at CERN, the european particle accelerator in Geneva. 63
Prof Jim Virdee
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Prof Simon Donaldson The highest placed non-physicist, from the Dept. of Mathematics, Prof Donaldson holds the Chair in Pure Mathematics. He is the only mathematician from Imperial College in the top 100.
He was sacked from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs earlier this year.
Prof Yang, a computer scientist at Imperial, works at the Institute of Global Health Innovation. He also holds the chair in Medical Image Computing at the College.
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Prof Guang-Zhong Yang
Lord Robert Winston is Imperial College’s first Professor of Science and Society. A household name for his expertise in child development, Winston is Emeritus Professor in Fertility Studies. 84
Prof Lord Robert Winston
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Prof Sir Roy Anderson Roy Anderson was Imperial College’s previous rector and is a Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Prof Anderson has also been Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Defence.