Nature: Bad news for Bell Labs

Alpha Doggs — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:10:45 -0400

The journal Nature has a story titled "Bell Labs bottoms out" that laments the end of basic research at the storied tech factory that has earned numerous Nobel Prizes for its work. The story, which you need to register on the Nature site to access in full, says that only four scientists are left in Bell Labs' fundamental physics group.

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Assessing the U.S. research picture

Alpha Doggs — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:27:37 -0500

The National Science Board has released its 2008 Science and Engineering Indicators report and it looks like the U.S. has some work to do.

According to a Computing Research Policy Blog review of the report, Asia is drawing away science and engineeering activities from the U.S., the feds are leaving two thirds of U.S. R&D funding to industry and 40% of the public thinks there is not enough federal funding of basic research. On the bright side, most foreign-born Ph.D. candidates in the U.S. plan to stay here and the U.S. is maintaining its share of high tech manufacturing.

The board made three broad recommendations:

* The feds need to step up their level of funding for basic research

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