Comments on: Science prize (not the Nobel)

By: upstairs medical school

upstairs medical school — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:30:31 +0000

President Obama’s policies freeing up scientific research have helped his image as peace maker. I think that his nomination serves as an indictment against the previous administrations policies in science as well, not just for causing a conflict that killed a million Iraqis.

Colin Powell said that with an invasion “we’ve bought” the land we enter. If we leave now, a void will be made and filled by ruthless sectarians. That’s what happened when we left the Afghanis after helping them repel the Soviets. Heroin has blighted our landscape since then, women have been subjected to horrible conditions, and terrorist camps grow and thrive.

By: John Phillips, FCD

John Phillips, FCD — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:42:46 +0000

@Metre. Intentions alone has often been considered a valid criteria by the Peace Prize Committee, simply look at some of the previous winners. Many who had never actually achieved their stated goals at the time of the award itself and only some of whom later achieved the intentions they were awarded for.

However, the Peace Prize, unlike the other Nobel prizes, is not just about achievements but about how stated intentions by the right people can change perception and thus, sometimes, make the goals even possible to attempt let alone easier to achieve. In Obama’s case, as I understand it, it is, among other reasons, about his often repeated intent, even before his presidency, to again use diplomacy in areas the US has, over the last eight years or so at least, openly renounced as an useful tool.

Whether anyone agrees with the criteria that the committee uses is of course a matter of individual opinion. However, when one looks at Obama’s award in the context of some previous awards, while it may be a surprise, the committee hasn’t done anything particularly outrageous according to previous selection criteria.

By: Metre

Metre — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:47:25 +0000

Luckily, in science you have to actually achieve something to receive a science medal or Nobel prize. Intentions are not good enough. Apparently, to win a peace prize, intentions are sufficient.

By: Cartesian

Cartesian — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:26:45 +0000

The words of the president Obama are a good hope for scientists, even for those who are not following him in politics.

By: per

per — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:31:20 +0000

And now, somewhat strangely, Obama himself got a very fancy ’science’ price. The Norwegians decided to give him the Nobel peace price. Very odd indeed to give him that after he just decided to send more soldiers to bomb the poorest country in the world.

Odd Odd.

By: Charon

Charon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:19:25 +0000

I heart Gunn too, but the fact that he wrote a paper in grad school with this citation history makes me despair. 46 citations in 2009 alone so far (2 of those are me, so I'm not saying he and Peterson don't deserve it...).

By: John Rummel

John Rummel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:28:21 +0000

I heart Jim Gunn.

By: Mandeep

Mandeep — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:27:34 +0000

Dan- wow, this is excellent news! Both that Pres. Obama said such supportive things of science (though we know this of him by now), and that Jim Gunn was awarded this medal! I haven’t met him yet, but my ‘boss’ here (more or less) works closely on SDSS3 with him, and assures me that the man is one sharp cookie. Yes, in between all the DC squabbling, this is a bright ray.. :-> -M

By: Victor

Victor — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:09:48 +0000

Hey look at this. There is an after life!

http://www.hulu.com/paranormal-tv

By: Bevy of Beauties

Bevy of Beauties — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:50:52 +0000

“We need young people to be inspired, and to want to become scientists.”

The supply of scientists already far outstrips the demand. What we really need is more welders.