[sci.lang] British Science

patterso@portia.Stanford.EDU (Mark Patterson) (09/02/89)

CALLING ALL BRITISH SCIENTISTS WORKING OUTSIDE THE UK!

We are a group of British scientists in California organising a petition to 
send to Mrs. Thatcher, regarding the state of British science.

The text on the petition reads as follows:

"Dear Mrs. Thatcher,

	As British scientists working abroad we are very concerned that 
British scientific research is being starved of necessary funding, with the 
consequent emigration of many scientists like ourselves.  The dearth of 
funding for state-of-the-art equipment and supplies, coupled with the lack
of jobs and career prospects for young academics, are major obstacles in our
considering returning to the UK.  We urge the Government to reform its science 
policy along the lines suggested by Save British Science, particularly as 
follows:
(1)  Government support for science, as a fraction of national wealth
invested in civil research and development, should be increased to be in 
line with other major European nations.
(2)  Tax incentives for industrial support of fundamental research in 
institutions with open, academic type research and publication practices,
should be improved.
(3)  The Government should recognise its responsibility to safeguard a
broad academic base of independent scientific research on which future
technological progress can be based."

We've already collected about 200 signatures, mainly from life scientists,
but we need lots more!

If you'd like to sign the petition and help to distribute it further afield
please mail me your address and I'll send you a copy asap.

Thanks

Mark Patterson

mok@hdsrus.enet.dec.com (09/02/89)

In article <5011@portia.Stanford.EDU>, patterso@portia.Stanford.EDU (Mark Patterson) writes...
> 
>CALLING ALL BRITISH SCIENTISTS WORKING OUTSIDE THE UK!
> 
>We are a group of British scientists in California organising a petition to 
>send to Mrs. Thatcher, regarding the state of British science.

Signing petitions for British leaders like Thatcher really is never going to 
be effective.  At least we as Hong Kong people have found that out for quite
a while now :)

Seriously though, good luck.  I know what you mean by the problem.  I would 
like to sign it too, if you would take a signature from a third-class British
citizen from Hong Kong :)

Charles


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Charles Mok
Digital Equipment Corporation, Storage Heads Business
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