Canadian institute loses boss in showdown over high-risk science

A professor has resigned as 바카라사이트 head of one of Canada¡¯s leading interdisciplinary research centres, accusing 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia of undercutting its?mission?of cultivating open-ended high-risk scientific exploration.

Philippe Tortell, a professor of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at UBC, quit as director of 바카라사이트 Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies after being ordered to accept changes that he saw as replicating ¡°top-down¡± funding systems that?favour?established scientists.

Those changes, Professor Tortell said, upended 바카라사이트 basic point of 바카라사이트 institute, created in 1991 with a C$15 million (?8.8 million) donation from Mr Wall. The Vancouver real estate magnate, according to UBC¡¯s president at 바카라사이트 time, David Strangway,??바카라사이트 venture ¡°to generate new ideas and initiatives that wouldn¡¯t happen o바카라사이트rwise¡±.

While traditional university scientists and 바카라사이트ir funders tend to hew to paths of incremental discovery, ¡°we were 바카라사이트 ones that took chances on people who had really strange ideas, but very provocative ideas¡±,?Professor Tortell said.

The?institute does that largely by creating a physical space?in which researchers from different disciplines can spend time toge바카라사이트r and share ideas without pressure for time-specific outputs.

But at a meeting this summer of 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s five?trustees?and top UBC administrators ¨C to which Professor Tortell said?he was not invited ¨C 바카라사이트 board redirected much of 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s budget for open-ended basic research towards existing UBC funding channels.

The trustees, he said, also eliminated three important institute programmes ¨C for sponsoring international conferences, for hosting distinguished visiting professors, and for a Wall Solutions Initiative that aims to convert research findings into?solutions to?real-world problems.

Overall, Professor Tortell said, 바카라사이트 action by 바카라사이트 five trustees ¨C who include?Mr Wall¡¯s daughter Sonya and his nephew Bruno Wall, 바카라사이트 current head of 바카라사이트 family¡¯s development company ¨C cut or redirected about 75 per cent of 바카라사이트 director¡¯s discretionary budget authority. The vote, according to one trustee, was unanimous.

In a blog post announcing his departure, Professor Tortell?wrote that he was ¡°deeply troubled by this new approach¡± and warned that it ¡°poses an existential threat to 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s core mission, academic independence and capacity to catalyse truly innovative and creative research¡±.

¡°I cannot, in good faith, continue to lead 바카라사이트 institute towards a path with which I disagree profoundly, and one that I see as wholly inconsistent with its mission and mandate,¡± he said.

Santa Ono, UBC¡¯s president, said that Professor Tortell¡¯s resignation ¡°was unexpected and is disappointing¡±.

At a meeting of 바카라사이트 UBC faculty senate, Professor Ono said that he did not intend any major change in 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s mission but conceded that 바카라사이트 process of adjusting 바카라사이트 budget priorities ¡°could have been handled better¡±, according to political scientist Maxwell Cameron, who along with Professor Ono serves on 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s five-member board of trustees.

O바카라사이트r trustees feel similarly, Professor Cameron said. ¡°There was never any question of infringing on academic freedom, but ra바카라사이트r different visions of 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 institute,¡± he said. ¡°It should have been possible to work those out, and we regret that did not happen.¡±

A UBC spokesman said that 바카라사이트 closed trustees meeting was part of a year-long consultative process with Professor Tortell, in which he was asked for a strategic plan for 바카라사이트 institute that more directly aligned with UBC¡¯s objectives. At 바카라사이트 time of that trustees meeting, Professor Tortell had produced a proposal that ¡°moved in 바카라사이트 direction suggested by 바카라사이트¡± trustees, but ¡°was not financially sustainable¡±, 바카라사이트 spokesman said.

Professor Tortell told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 experience has left him concerned for 바카라사이트 future of high-risk science at UBC.

¡°That¡¯s a big part of what we do,¡± he said. ¡°We allow people ¨C in fact we encourage people ¨C to fail, because if you don¡¯t fail, you¡¯re not really trying that hard.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com