Science and Governmental Policy.    25/02/11

     We reprint 1) a letter in this week's Science from Professor Andrew Leavitt, University of California, San Francisco and 2) the response by Professor Penny Sackett to a question by Senator Doug Cameron (Labor, NSW).

    Note 28/02/11: A full recording of her testimony has been made available, the transcript is awaiting release.     [More]

Draft Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Legislation Released for Comment.    24/02/11 [More]

$1.5 Billion for 2011 Research Block Grants Announced.    24/02/11

    Sustainable Research Excellence in Universities (SRE) to get $122 million of it. [More]

Q&A:  Senate Estimates and the Chief Scientist.    23/02/11

    Senator Carr: ""She's performed a very, very important role on behalf of the Australian people... [More] 

A Philosopher's View of University Administration.    23/02/11

    Ignore everything. If it actually needs to be done you'll be reminded... [More] 

"Have You [Professor Sackett] Given Any Personal Direct Briefings (to Then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd)".    22/02/11 [More]

Google CEO, Eric Schmidt: "Australia is Leading the World in Understanding the Importance of Fibre."    20/02/11 [More]

Chief Scientist Resigns After Serving less Than Half Her Appointment.    19/02/11

    This sudden announcement by the designated chief scientific advisor to the Australian government should be deeply disturbing to the nation's scientific community. [More] 

European Union Commissioner for Research, Innovation, and Science on Successful Grant Applications.    18/02/11

    The members of the parliament were shocked that only one in three grants deemed worthy actually receive funding. [More]

Frank Larkins: Australian Higher Education Research Policies and Performance, 1987-2010.    17/02/11

    "...the ERA results, in the broadest sense, don't reveal anything that wasn't known already..." [More]

Entries for the 2011 Eureka Prizes Are Now Being Accepted.    17/02/11

    The Australian Museum has announced that entries for the 2011 Eureka Prizes are now being accepted with the closing date being May 6, 2011. [More] 

Providing All Global Energy With Wind, Water, and Solar Power is Feasible Say University of California  & Stanford Researchers.    16/02/11 [More]

US President Barack Obama Requests US$66.8-billion for Federal Science Spending.    16/02/11

    That's an average increase of 6% over current funding. [More] 

Giles Pickford Explains: "Why Can’t a University Be More Like a Business?"    15/02/11

    It's a moot question as whether or not Mr Pickford has any chance of being heeded rather than just talking to the hand. [More]

Tentative Agenda for March 8, 2011 Meeting of PCAST.    15/02/11

     US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is, as were previous meetings, scheduled to be video webcast. [More]

US University Endowments Showing Marked Increases in Value.    11/02/11

    Overall the average increase in value of endowments at US colleges and universities 2009/2010 has been 11.9%. [More]

Proposal for Extreme Makeover of European Research Funding.    11/02/11

    When Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner it was greeted with some trepidation. [More]

Discipline Ranking for 2010 of the World's Research Universities by the Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.    09/02/11

    SJTU rankings within 5 specific disciplines and what SJTU specifies as 5 "Fields". [More]

Reinventing  the Basics of Scholarly Communication?    08/02/11

    "When you put together that sense of aesthetics with resourcefulness and business management skills, it's a pretty powerful combination." [More]

Top Nations in Plant and Animal Sciences According to Thomson Reuters.    08/02/11

    The February 3, 2011 issue of Times Higher Education has tabulated the top 20 nations in plant and animal sciences based on data provided by Thomson Reuters from its "Essential Science Indicators, January 2000-August 2010". [More] 

Chief Scientist Lists Her Milestone Achievements for 2010.    05/02/11 [More]

Additional Pairs of Hands or Scientists in Training?       04/02/11

    The US National Institute of General Medical Sciences is advising its grantees that they have a duty to help create a more diverse workforce. [More]

US Public Science Funding Looks Toward Sharp Cuts if House of Representatives Republicans Prevail.    04/02/11

    Researchers in the United States set themselves for a probable king hit. [More]

PMSEIC Releases Impact Statements or Reports on Food Security and Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections.    04/02/11 [More]

Higher Education Funding Council for England Cuts £940m from Universities' Budgets for Teaching, Research, Buildings... a 9.5% Cut.03/02/11 [More]

Significant Epigenetic Differences Demonstrated Between Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.    03/02/11

    The problem is that we don't know if any of these differences are going to be consequential. [More] 

Views of the Nobel Laureate and the Cabinet Minister.    02/02/11

    By and large what Nobel Laureates think doesn't carry much weight with Australian parliamentarians. [More]

Opposition to the Demolition of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Gains Momentum.    02/02/11

    Denise Bradley: We thought it was a critical component of an intelligent approach to improving the quality of teaching. [More]

CSIRO Staff Contemplate Industrial Action Over Conditions and Pay.    01/02/11 [More]