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marginallymanic
Cabinet Minister
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:42 am Post subject: Famed physicist Hawk |
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Scientist unhappy with British funding
Chris Wattie
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The most famous physicist in the world could be moving to Canada to work at a prestigious institute for pure scientific research in Waterloo, Ont.
Dr. Stephen Hawking, the award-winning author of A Brief History of Time, is reportedly considering leaving Britain's Cambridge University, after almost 50 years of ground-breaking work there on theoretical physics, in favour of the Perimeter Institute, founded by the Canadian owners of high-tech firm Research in Motion Ltd.
"There's been a standing invitation for him to come here for some time," said John Matlock, a spokesman for the institute. "But things are kind of heating up on that front lately."
That is because of the recent appointment of Neil Turok, a long-time associate of the renowned physicist, as executive director of the Perimeter Institute.
"Any stay and timing will be up to Prof. Hawking: an invitation has always been there," said Mr. Matlock.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the 66-year-old scientist is looking seriously at the offer to move to Canada after attacking the British government for cuts to scientific funding he has called "disastrous." Colleagues say Dr. Hawking believes British government policy is making the nation the home of "dull science" and Mr. Hawking said publicly last month that the $160-million funding cuts would "cause enormous damage both to British science and to our international reputation."
Mr. Turok, an authority on mathematical physics, decided to leave Cambridge after failing to persuade university authorities, research councils and other sponsors to spend $40-million expanding the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, which he heads, into a Hawking Institute.
He said "the door is open" for Mr. Hawking to join him at the Perimeter Institute in Ontario, which was established nearly eight years ago with $300-million in funding, half of it a gift from Mike Lazaridis, creator of the BlackBerry.
"He plans to visit me in Ontario next year for a month or so, and we would certainly welcome him coming for longer," Mr. Turok told The Daily Telegraph.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
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jazzbro
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:31 am Post subject: |
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The Perimeter Institute sounds like a cool place to be.
So does this place;
http://www.santafe.edu/ |
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Phillippe
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Location: Westmount, Québec, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:11 am Post subject: |
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A lot of academics are jumping ship to move into private research institutes, especially in the US/Canada. We're gobbling up surgeons, and physicists like mad now, because over here private funding for research gets exceptional tax breaks and huge amounts of corporate and private donoations. These companies are swimming in money and are, far and away, much more advanced than the Universities.
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marginallymanic
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marginallymanic
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:40 am Post subject: |
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I guess he isn't pondering at all...it is all just a big "mistake"
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Phillippe
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Location: Westmount, Québec, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:42 am Post subject: |
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I wonder what Cambridge is doing to keep him.
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