Comments on: IPMU in Tokyo Needs Support

By: photographer shaun

photographer shaun — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:01:48 +0000

I don’t know if one letter from me will help but I’ll send one for you – you never know!

By: Tandon

Tandon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:31:10 +0000

Dear Sir
My research work forwarded CERN lab
I have developed magic formula by which you can find out the actual mass of any element though we have not found on earth but available in the universe.the mass of Proton is not actuall what we found .
you may get the SAME actual results from CERN LAB

I have done some work on Proton mass and the last element in the universe. How ever I am sending the mass of each proton shall be as give below
If you think pl may contact me on this mail —– appalenergy@gmail.com

ONE PROTON MASS SHALL BE EQUA L=3.175997568 amu IN PLACE OF 1.008145 amu particals shall be in one proton TAKING O=16 CONSIDERATION
AND ONE NUTRON=3.199180032 amu shall be IN PLACE OF 1.008987 amu AS O=16
WHICH WE CAN SAY HIDDEN ENERGY=3.199180032 -1.008987= HIDDEN ENERGY can be calculated as mentioned in case of proton
I have developed magic formula by which you can find out the actual mass of any element though we have not found on earth but available in the universe.the mass of Proton is not actually what we found .
you may get the SAME actual results from CERN LAB

TANDON
INDIA

By: nanotube

nanotube — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:42:04 +0000

Ken — how many of these papers and, especially, awards are based on the work borne out of IPMU? I believe very little. Having recruited senior scientists, honors and awards would come
together, but that is not because of IPMU. If someone tries to promote WPI or IPMU based on such, given that they just launched off less than 2 years ago (not 12 years ago), what would you say? I know conscious and faithful scientists wouldn’t do that.

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:45:15 +0000

nanotube,

IPMU seems to have already many papers and awards — is it a glamor, or good work?

By: Chanda

Chanda — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:31:17 +0000

Hiroshi — I really appreciate your explanation. It puts things in perspective. It’s like that time the Governor of California suggested that we cut new taxes and sell California to Wall Street. Worked out so well! Oh wait …

Anyway, I feel better about having sent in a letter. I am just cautious of telling people what I think before I understand everything.

By: nanotube

nanotube — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:54:46 +0000

At least this time, Japanese Government is right. The way these WPI were built and have been operated (not just IPMU, which achieves one of the lowest) is not the right path the best science is ever established. To wit, huge fraction of individual grant was sucked up and placed to WPI program. This means our colleagues at universities and smaller labs had to suffer to
none. To have astronomical annual budget each WPI spent on time, they had to hire a tsunami of postdocs, hold time-suffocating workshops and events like a hell. Watch out other better running places such as Perimeter Institute, many Max Planck Institutes and IST at Austria. Well planned, carefully-thought and amply time-framed research environments will only count in the end. To wit, this WPI should be shrunken (or eliminated) and the budget must go back to individual grants. Glamors in public media is lost but Japan will regain good tradition of high quality science research.

By: C3C7

C3C7 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:11:11 +0000

There are so many better ways to spend money then researching things like string theory for example.

I believe they are right to cut theoretical physics in times of crisis as this has been one of the least productive areas of science in the last few decades. The field might even benefit if it sees some money dry up as this may dissuade many mediocre people from pursuing it, people who being incapable of tackling big problems instead specialize in propagating fads and playing politics.

By: Richard E.

Richard E. — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:37:10 +0000

I sent my letter.

By: Hiroshi

Hiroshi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:13:47 +0000

Dear Chanda@5:

The Hatoyama Government in Japan made a set of populist promises during the election a few months ago, and its total cost is estimated to be over 70 billion US$. Among them is elimination of gasoline tax (25 billion US$) and elimination of highway tolls (6 billion US$), which would add more CO2 in the air. There is nothing about science in their list. The reason that the Government is conducting the public hearing is to decide which programs to cut in order to come up with fund to pay for these promises. I am told that the total number of letters to the Ministry will play an important role for the Government to decide which programs to rescue.

By: Gordon Stangler

Gordon Stangler — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:52:42 +0000

I sent a letter, and I am recruiting every scientist and engineer I know to write one. Saving basic science is very important, and it really does not get any more basic than understanding the universe!

By: Eamon

Eamon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:59:24 +0000

Chanda@5

Well, if they cut science then they may be able to cover a few more mountains in concrete, or build a lot more roads to nowhere.

By: Chanda

Chanda — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:38:37 +0000

I sent in a letter at the urging of the administration of Perimeter Institute, but I have to admit to experiencing some hesitance. As an American, I can always think of a place where the money would come from (the military budget). But not being familiar with Japanese government priorities, I have no idea what they are up against and whether this is a matter of misplaced priorities or really having their backs up against the wall.

If they don’t significantly cut science, what will suffer instead?

By: Kuas

Kuas — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:43:57 +0000

No thanks, I’ll pass. There are many, many worthier causes, even within the field of physics.

By: Chibaragese

Chibaragese — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:08:09 +0000

No kidding!
IPMU in Tokyo cannot diminish,
because such an institution does not exist.
In fact, IPMU is in Chiba.
(University of “Tokyo” has a remote campus in “Chiba” prefecture, and IPMU is in the campus.)

Joking aside.
This is a serious problem.
Let’s support IPMU!

By: IPMU in Tokyo Needs Support | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine « Tokyo Bookmarker

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:35 +0000

[...] IPMU in Tokyo Needs Support | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine Academia | Japan has had a long and distinguished tradition in modern physics. Just to pick one example, the amazing efforts of Shin’ichirō Tomonaga to understand quantu. more .. [...]

By: Eamon

Eamon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:53:19 +0000

I’ve been following the deliberations of the ‘waste cutting panel’ here in Japan (If following is the word – there’s isn’t much out there on the deliberations, mainly decisions). The level of insight is pretty appalling. In regards to completing the building of the world’s fastest supercomputer the comment was:

“What good will this be in people’s everyday lives?”

Funding was then suggested cut.

In regards the HTV space station resupply vehicle, which is already in production and the subject of international treaties their response was:

“Find 10% savings.”

Anyone with any conception at all of engineering projects knows that a cut like that during production in a recipe for disaster – quite literally.