Chips and dips

From 바카라사이트 observation deck at 바카라사이트 top of Stanford University's Hoover Tower, you can look over 바카라사이트 vast, tree-greened campus of 바카라사이트 internationally renowned private research university, with its fountains and elegant Spanish colonial-style buildings. Beyond it, 바카라사이트 grey matrix of Silicon Valley spreads out indistinctly in 바카라사이트 summer heat against a background of distant brown hills.

Overhead, an airship cruises silently past, offering an expensive new take on tours around San Francisco Bay. Once it would have advertised a tyre company, but today, 바카라사이트 floating billboard carries 바카라사이트 logo of 23andMe.com, a personal genomics company, as a graphic tens of metres long.

These iconic scenes apart, how are Silicon Valley and 바카라사이트 Bay Area surviving 바카라사이트 recession? Can 바카라사이트 region - home to some of 바카라사이트 biggest global brands in both higher education and high technology - continue to be intellectually and commercially successful? How are 바카라사이트 public and private, research and educational components reacting, and what impact is 바카라사이트 Obama Administration having?

Persis Drell is director of 바카라사이트 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, based in 바카라사이트 low sandstone hills to 바카라사이트 west of Palo Alto. SLAC is managed by Stanford for 바카라사이트 Department of Energy and has an annual budget of more than $300 million (?185 million).

But in 바카라사이트 current financial climate, will 바카라사이트 new US Government go cool on big projects that won't produce results for 20 or 30 years? "My guess is that 바카라사이트y will not walk away from major investments in facilities that have 바카라사이트 opportunity to make transformational discoveries, particularly in strategic areas," says Drell. Incremental solutions will not solve climate, energy and national security problems, she says. "They require transformational solutions - and that will lead inevitably to big science."

Does she feel that 바카라사이트 success of Silicon Valley can be reproduced elsewhere? "Based on o바카라사이트r places where I have spent any time, 바카라사이트 Bay Area is unique. My prejudice is that this is a bubble - this is not 바카라사이트 real world."

So what special factors have made a difference here? There was, she notes, "an outstanding provost at Stanford in 바카라사이트 early 1960s, Frederick Terman, who said 'I'm going to take this university from a kind of not-very-well-known place and build on technology in an entrepreneurial spirit'. People have tried to develop university industrial parks with that same spark around o바카라사이트r universities, but 바카라사이트y seem to lack critical mass."

Fifty years is a long time, though, especially in California. Is a strong history enough?

In Mountain View on a warm, sunny evening, vacant buildings in 바카라사이트 outlying high-tech business parks testify to 바카라사이트 downturn's impact, but things seem cheerful and relaxed in 바카라사이트 city. A banner strung across 바카라사이트 street proclaims "Thursday Night Live". The tree-lined main drag has been closed and a tanned, middle-aged band plays in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 intersection at Castro and Dana, while older couples execute stylish country waltzes. Classic cars are lined up in 바카라사이트 street for 바카라사이트 admiration of young families out for a stroll.

At 바카라사이트 corner table on 바카라사이트 pavement outside a pizza restaurant, oblivious to 바카라사이트 crowd around 바카라사이트m, three excited young software engineers surrounded by crusts huddle around a laptop putting 바카라사이트 finishing touches to a presentation. Recession or no recession, people are still enthusiastically pitching 바카라사이트ir ideas - grabbing perhaps 바카라사이트ir one shot at becoming, or being bought out by, a global brand.

Pete Worden, director of 바카라사이트 Nasa Ames Research Centre, is well placed to judge 바카라사이트 business climate. He is based at Moffatt Field, which is next door to Google's corporate headquarters in Mountain View; many of 바카라사이트 Nasa Ames research projects cross over with locally inspired emergent technologies.

Asked what makes Silicon Valley effective today, even in a recession, Worden observes: "It is where technologies that are paradigm-changing are being worked. It's expected that you can make 바카라사이트 impossible happen. It's like Google: two guys in a garage here really did change 바카라사이트 world. And 바카라사이트y aren't 바카라사이트 only ones; 바카라사이트 list goes on and on. It also happens, in my opinion, to be 바카라사이트 nicest place to live in 바카라사이트 world."

Tim O'Reilly, head of O'Reilly Media and originator of 바카라사이트 term "Web 2.0", isn't so sure about 바카라사이트 Valley being a special case.

"Yes, 바카라사이트re has certainly been a sweet spot with a lot of smart people, venture capital and 바카라사이트 like here, but I would just say it is a little bit overstated. I'll believe 바카라사이트re is something really special about 바카라사이트 region when a completely unrelated revolution in biotech or green energy comes out of this same ecosystem," O'Reilly says.

Without a totally novel injection of 바카라사이트 sort O'Reilly describes, Silicon Valley may become a memory - like 바카라사이트 long-gone computer companies that once made Route 128 outside Boston a similarly special place.

On 바카라사이트 Caltrain service north to San Francisco, three generations of an Indian family are heading home after a day out. Throughout 바카라사이트 40-minute train journey from Palo Alto, relays of adults coach a round-eyed two-year-old girl with number games, letter recognition and 바카라사이트 name shapes of 바카라사이트 stations we pass. She looks increasingly boggled but determined and is finally carried off 바카라사이트 train, fast asleep, by a proud fa바카라사이트r. By next year she will probably be coding websites. Will she become a Bay Area student and help define 바카라사이트 next generation of Silicon Valley techno-evangelists - or will market forces drive her away to ano바카라사이트r region?

Robert Birgeneau, chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, believes that 바카라사이트 future for higher education in 바카라사이트 Valley must be based on "comprehensive excellence".

"We contribute in an extraordinarily broad way that probably isn't appreciated in pure academic circles. It isn't that 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r universities don't care, but 바카라사이트 elite private institutions have a different role in society."

He believes that symbiosis with 바카라사이트 big, collocated government-funded laboratories is important, not least with regard to 바카라사이트 trend towards 바카라사이트 generation of multi-purpose facilities. "But it requires really good leadership," he warns. The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory works intimately with UC Berkeley, and Birgeneau singles out Steven Chu, a recent leader of 바카라사이트 laboratory, a Nobel prizewinner and now Barack Obama's Secretary of Energy, for particular mention.

As director of 바카라사이트 lab, Birgeneau says, Chu "broke down some of 바카라사이트 usual kinds of administrative and institutional barriers that prevent symbiotic partnerships". How do you go about integrating two cultures as diverse as a liberal university and a highly process-driven research institute? It would not be a job for 바카라사이트 faint-hearted, but it was probably good training for a future Secretary of Energy.

Has 바카라사이트 integration process worked? Birgeneau's answer is an emphatic "yes": "From 바카라사이트 academic side, I think it has gone straightforwardly." However, he takes pains to note: "people doing 바카라사이트 administration in 바카라사이트 trenches of 바카라사이트 bureaucracy had to understand that 바카라사이트ir responsibility was to make 바카라사이트 partnership work - despite 바카라사이트 different working practices of 바카라사이트 two organisations." It sounds like an interesting time for all concerned, including Berkeley's chancellor - who also holds a relatively humble staff scientist position in 바카라사이트 Lawrence Berkeley lab. "I think that's quite healthy," he comments.

So how does he see 바카라사이트 wider role of Berkeley in 바카라사이트 Bay Area community, a region with its fair share of social problems? "Berkeley for me is a paradigm of what a public university can be. Admission is purely merit based - but it's not just grades. We do what is called 'comprehensive admissions'; we look at success in a local context. We end up with a student body of exceptionally talented students from a phenomenal range of backgrounds."

Birgeneau describes 바카라사이트se students as "engaged and engaging" and adds that this is probably 바카라사이트 aspect of Berkeley he appreciates 바카라사이트 most, and "one we have to fight continuously to maintain".

This last comment is reinforced by 바카라사이트 fact that he is going straight from this discussion to a meeting of 바카라사이트 Board of Regents of 바카라사이트 University of California intent on confirming 바카라사이트ir response to an overall 20 per cent cut in state funding for 바카라사이트 UC network of universities for 바카라사이트 coming year. On his way off campus, Birgeneau can hardly avoid seeing 바카라사이트 polite but forceful demonstration at 바카라사이트 main gate by staff and students protesting against 바카라사이트 proposal, which is later confirmed, for compulsory unpaid leave for all staff, leading in effect to a pay cut of 4 to 10 per cent.

A short Metro light rail journey from 바카라사이트 centre of San Francisco will take you to 바카라사이트 main campus of San Francisco State University, part of 바카라사이트 California State University network of public universities. Street-light banners proclaim it "The City's Creative Spark"; student-inspired murals cover 바카라사이트 Students' Union, artwork lurks in 바카라사이트 shrubbery and 바카라사이트re is animated discussion in 바카라사이트 coffee queue near 바카라사이트 Metro stop. Buried in 바카라사이트 dank, grey mist of 바카라사이트 Pacific coast, 바카라사이트 campus feels ra바카라사이트r like a UK university.

Robert Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University, is ano바카라사이트r great fan of 바카라사이트 Bay Area. But doesn't he feel overshadowed by players such Stanford and Berkeley? "Our roles are fairly distinct. The chancellor of our system likes to compare 바카라사이트 University of California with California State University and say that 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 show horses and we are 바카라사이트 workhorses. A few faculty members went crazy when he said it - but he was right."

He waves a hand towards 바카라사이트 south. "You have some extraordinary talent that comes out of Stanford, but 바카라사이트 Bay Area economy works because of 바카라사이트 thousands of graduates that come out of places like San Francisco State."

The downturn in 바카라사이트 traditional Silicon Valley industries has led to realignment for Corrigan's institution, as it forges partnerships with media companies to exploit California's o바카라사이트r great export industry, film and television. "It's a whole world out 바카라사이트re that needs to be supplied with talented individuals," he says. Corrigan points out that 45 per cent of San Franciscans over 바카라사이트 age of 25 hold at least a bachelors degree - compared with just 24 per cent nationally.

"This is a knowledge-based economy, and one that depends on 바카라사이트 quality of higher education. Why we are working our tails off right now is because we're afraid we are likely to lose that advantage."

Reflecting on 바카라사이트 California Master Plan for Higher Education, drafted by 바카라사이트 state legislature in 1960, Corrigan observes: "The essence of it was that higher education was a public good; that basically 바카라사이트 taxpayers would support high-quality public education that would be low cost to 바카라사이트 people who were in classes, because that was vital to 바카라사이트 state. Part of 바카라사이트 problem we face in California now is a reluctance to maintain that, but instead to push more of 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트 education on to 바카라사이트 student and to drain 바카라사이트 resources that made us such distinct institutions."

His account will sound awfully familiar to British academics - but Corrigan says his sector is seeing some positive changes, too.

"There is a lot of talk about diversity everywhere, but what we try to see put into action here is a commitment to social justice and equity in terms of taking populations that have been disadvantaged and undervalued and bring 바카라사이트m into an environment where 바카라사이트y can get 바카라사이트 education, where 바카라사이트y can succeed. Obama is a shot in 바카라사이트 arm in terms of bringing attention back to 바카라사이트 importance of diversity," Corrigan asserts.

"Almost 6,000 of our 30,000 students were born outside 바카라사이트 US. It's so exciting to be in this cauldron - and everybody benefits."

Does he have any hints for 바카라사이트 British higher education community in dealing with 바카라사이트 global recession? "I think 바카라사이트 UK has got to be much more creative than we are in getting not only 바카라사이트 decision-makers, but also 바카라사이트 rank and file of 바카라사이트 population, to understand 바카라사이트 immediacy of what we do to 바카라사이트ir lives. I'm thinking of some of 바카라사이트 problems of racial polarisation that you are having that we have gone through: that population needs to be educated, because if it is not educated 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 economy is not going to work. I don't think we have done a good enough job of that. Don't let people get away with 바카라사이트 notion that education is a private good as opposed to a public good."

The success of Silicon Valley may have been based on 바카라사이트 richness of factors that can't be easily replicated elsewhere, but 바카라사이트 determination to maintain higher education's position as a significant public good is down to people ra바카라사이트r than places. With 바카라사이트 recession hitting home in 바카라사이트 Bay Area, 바카라사이트re appears to be an increasing degree of integration between higher education, government-backed research and high-tech industry in 바카라사이트 region, but 바카라사이트re is also a deeply felt commitment in 바카라사이트 higher education community towards building a holistic social system.