Why Is the US Hesitant About the NAS Report Findings?

[ZapperZ]

This relates to the original post in the fact that we are talking about how well developed-nations fund physics. Right? Was that the question you meant? You sound like you're on your way to locking this thread.

No, the link was specifically talking about funding of elementary particle/high energy physics, which has been so severely butchered during the Bush administration that Fermilab is in jeopardy of being shut down by the end of the Tevatron funding. And that is THE last high energy physics facility in the US (SLAC is already being retrofitted as a light source and its funding is going to be transferred to DOE BES division).

So I have no idea what you read in the OP.

Zz.

 

[Bystander]

No, the link was specifically talking about funding of elementary particle/high energy physics, which has been so severely butchered during the Bush administration

"Since the huge Superconducting Super Collider was axed in the early 1990s, the US programme has lacked focus, says the committee." --- OP

People doing the work have to provide the "focus;" politicians are generally inclined to underfund if PIs can make any sort of case for themselves --- no case, no funding.

that Fermilab is in jeopardy of being shut down by the end of the Tevatron funding. And that is THE last high energy physics facility in the US (SLAC is already being retrofitted as a light source and its funding is going to be transferred to DOE BES division).

So I have no idea what you read in the OP.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

"Since the huge Superconducting Super Collider was axed in the early 1990s, the US programme has lacked focus, says the committee." --- OP

People doing the work have to provide the "focus;" politicians are generally inclined to underfund if PIs can make any sort of case for themselves --- no case, no funding.

The SSC did not suffer from lack of focus. Rather, it was bad politics from the very beginning when the location was selected. If you look closely, the same thing happened to Isabelle that was about to be built at Brookhaven in the early 80's. So this is nothing new.

But when the politics didn't get in the way, you get the SLAC upgrade and the building of the Tevatron, all after the cancellation of the SSC, during the period of the so-called 'lack of focus'.

Take note that as bad as funding for high energy physics was, the funding for nuclear physics was even more abysmal, especially during the past 5 years. It got so bad that (i) RHIC and JLab experiments were on the chopping block (ii) RHIC was about to be shut down this year during its prime and was only saved due to a "donation" by a private entity to keep it open. I don't think they were suffering from any "lack of focus" either.

Regardless, there is a very clear "focus" as it is now - ILC. So where are the support?

Zz.

 

[Mk]

Well, what president is interested in particle physics?

If I may interrupt, you might be interested to know one of them is Abdul Kalam, the president of India.

That guy looks kind of scary.

the link was specifically talking about funding of elementary particle/high energy physics, which has been so severely butchered during the Bush administration

The original post and poster said nothing, only implied that the United States was afraid to fund particle physics research. In the news article I read nothing about the Bush administration either.

America must boost its investment in particle physics if it is to stay at the forefront of the discipline.

That's all.
-Mk

 

[J77]

From what i hear on this forum, ask any serious scientist and they'll probably say the US is still at the forefront in science. However, they'll also probably tell you we're going to lose that spot very quickly at this rate unfortunately

That's a massive genralisation across all areas of science.

Name a specific field which the US are at the forefront of and I could probably find a dozen in which other countries lead.

I know good people in my field who come from the US, but I certainly wouldn't say they're at the forefront.

 

[ZapperZ]

The original post and poster said nothing, only implied that the United States was afraid to fund particle physics research. In the news article I read nothing about the Bush administration either.

Did you read the NAS report to which the link was reporting on? If you didn't then you are basing your opinion on 2nd hand reporting. If you are comfortable with heresay, then maybe you need to reconsider where you get your source of information.

Zz.

 

[Rach3]

Did you read the NAS report to which the link was reporting on? If you didn't then you are basing your opinion on 2nd hand reporting. If you are comfortable with heresay, then maybe you need to reconsider where you get your source of information.

Zz.

For anyone interested, the report is here:

http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309101948/html/