paleonet Re: AW: Re paleontology as a worthy science

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>The problem is that most of the research in these fields come from people
>working in museums, or in relation to museums (All need collections which
>are libraries).
>So the first step is to cut the research program of museums (it is exactly
>what happened to the British a few years ago). The second step will be that
>the collections, if they are no more "living collectiosn", rapidly will
>become obsolete. The third step is that less and less people will come to
>study them, and so we are very near the end of the story.
>So in conclusion, I think that what happen in Berlin is not an only VP or
>paleontology problem, but much larger.
>

Sorry Prof. Hartenberger, but that is not 'what happened to the
British a few years ago'. It was before my time in the NHM, but in
1990 that institution went through a financial crisis that did
necessitate the laying off (they call it redundancy over here) of a
significant number of research staff. That was unfortunate and
possibly could have been handled in a better way. [Once again, I was
not at the NHM at the time and didn't live through the episode.]
However, that financial crisis was not politically motivated and
those regrettable layoffs were not intended, and did not result, in
the killing off of any major research programs, paleontological or
otherwise. Yes, some programs were cut back temporarily and everyone
was dispirited. Many hard feeling about that time have survive to
this day. But, everyone here knows, and most admit, that The Natural
History Museum had to make those painful fiscal adjustments and has
come out a stronger research-based institution for having done so.
Paleoneology is currently in a very healthy state in the NHM. Indeed,
Andrew Smith's contributions to our science have just this week been
recognized by his election to a Fellowship in the Royal Society where
he joins his NHM colleague Richard Fortey. Moreover, a recent House
of Lords select committee has submitted a report that recommends
additional funding for systematics--including paleontological
systematics--from the British government along with a substantial
increase in the funding for national natural history museums and
botanic gardens. That recommended increase is to be targeted at
collections and collections-based research; just the sorts of work
you seem to think have no future. It's not all gloom and doom. The
road forward, however, is to understand power and work with the
people who have it, not to alienate or demonise them.

Norm MacLeod




>Dear All,
>The present problem which arises in Germany and some other countries
>including France, has nothing to do with science, but with politics of
>science, and mainly with the viewpoint that some politicians has on
>science.
>I am in a VP lab for more than 35 years. In the 70's the lab has about 12
>VP scientists. The chief of the lab (Louis Thaler, thanks to him) decided
>that it will be interesting for us that other people interested in
>evolution join the lab. So was built up the Institut des Sciences de
>l'Évolution with  paleobotanists, geneticists, ecologists and vertebrate
>paleontologists. From my experience, it seems to me that this kind of
>institution is not frequent. There were some problems between the different
>teams (because they use different techniques evidently, give papers in
>different journals, ask money from different institutions). But, for about
>more than 20 years, there was not major problem, and scientifically and
>intellectually speaking, there was mutual benefice between members of the
>lab. We learn from each others. At this time in France, as in many other
>countries, the administration of science was made mainly by scientists.
>Later, from the end of the 90's, the administration of science was growing,
>and a new generation of people arise for heading the administration of
>science. This new head has no more daily experience of science, but has
>daily contact with politicians. These know about science what the medias
>tell about, and also, they are mainly interested by the cost of science and
>about what think the voters. So they consider that the Very Expansive
>Equipments are the most important in science. Also they do not appreciate
>at all  some opinion given by scientists (mainly about the future of
>biodiversity and the ecology in a broad sense !).
>So by now in France, one the most costly program is the space program (Mars
>and so on, not the Earth and the Life on Earth !). So people can dream
>think the Politicians. If they  have given support to the Genome program it
>fundamentally for the same reason : it is very costly and they can promess
>to peopel that in the next future all diseases will be eradicated.
>Also they appreciate less and less scientists who claim that it is more
>important to  study the biodiversity, to study evolution, to study
>archeaology, to study the Earth (as everybody knows, water is not a problem
>on Earth !).
>The problem is that most of the research in these fields come from people
>working in museums, or in relation to museums (All need collections which
>are libraries).
>So the first step is to cut the research program of museums (it is exactly
>what happened to the British a few years ago). The second step will be that
>the collections, if they are no more "living collectiosn", rapidly will
>become obsolete. The third step is that less and less people will come to
>study them, and so we are very near the end of the story.
>So in conclusion, I think that what happen in Berlin is not an only VP or
>paleontology problem, but much larger.
>
>
>
>
>Jean-Louis Hartenberger
>laboratoire de Paléontologie, cc 64
>Université Montpellier II
>place Eugène-Bataillon
>34095 Montpellier cedex 5 France
>tel : (33) O4 67 14 35 87
>fax : (33) 04 67 14 36 10


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___________________________________________________________________

Dr. Norman MacLeod
Keeper of Palaeontology
The Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

(0)20-7942-5204 (Office)
(0)20-7942-5546 (Fax)

Web Page: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/a&ss/nm/nm.html

___________________________________________________________________