{"id":2944,"date":"2015-06-06T14:50:50","date_gmt":"2015-06-06T20:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mmilner\/?p=2944"},"modified":"2015-06-06T15:06:50","modified_gmt":"2015-06-06T21:06:50","slug":"the-anti-scientific-revolution-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mmilner\/2015\/06\/06\/the-anti-scientific-revolution-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"The Anti-scientific Revolution in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wanted to draw your attention to the recent radio series\u00a0on Canadian CBC Radio with Paul Kennedy – The Ideas<\/em>. The Ideas<\/em> in my view is one of the best radio shows out there. I love how they chose topics and how they explore them always making you to want more. This special 3-part series talks about what is happening to science in Canada. It touched me as I just came back from China where the government is investing a lot in science and science education; last month I happened to listen to the talk on the topic by a French Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche<\/a> speaking about the same thing – funding “blue sky research”. I can only add funding science education to it. This just doesn’t make sense to me that we are relying to our natural resources without making a significant investment into our science education. We all (or many of us) keep complaining that science (and science education for that matter) are under attack in Canada – but what do we do about it?<\/p>\n

I think Paul Kennedy is doing it by raising the problem openly in the media. But what is our role at universities and research institutions in Canada? Are we going to see how our country’s scientific and science education achievements are going to slip and not do anything about it? I think recent PISA results speak for themselves… I also think it is important to take a look at how scientifically educated Members of Parliament we have in Canada. As one of leading UBC scientists Prof. Bill Unruh<\/a> recently told me (I am paraphrasing) – \u00a0we have to realize that having scientists in our government is a necessity. Bill mentioned that in the past we did have some scientific representation amongst our MPs but not any more… This is a problem!<\/p>\n

Let me quote here how Paul Kennedy and his team described it and you decide if you want to listen. I have made my choice.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/ideas\/science-under-siege-part-1-1.3091552<\/a><\/p>\n

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Wednesday June 03, 2015<\/h3>\n

Science Under Siege, Part 1<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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