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Robin Kennedy on Join Email Discussions robertmilleroctspan on Join Email Discussions
ESSAY RELEVANT TO RECENT RSNZ DOCUMENT: “SCIENCE MANIFESTO ETC”
Greetings from Dunedin! I am a free-lance researcher, associated with the University of Otago, my work focusing on the theory of brain function and its relation to major mental illness (My largest work on this subject – a book entitled “A Neurodynamic Theory of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders” was publicly released three months ago.)
Recently I have been broadening my interest, and have been working on a longish essay on science policy (both here and in UK), topics relevant to the recent RSNZ document (“Science Manifesto”). That essay is now complete, and posted on my website (www.robertmiller-octspan.co.nz). It can be down-loaded free-of-charge. The title is: “Change in Universities, “Technology Transfer”, and the Commercial World: An Irreconcilable Clash of Cultures?” This essay runs to over 50 pages. If readers of this message do not have time to read it all, the summary at the beginning, of ~800 words, will give you much of the thrust of the article.
This essay is by no means an attempt to support the “ivory tower” aspects of university research: I am very much open to the idea of “technology transfer”. However, I do offer criticism of both the academic world and the commercial world, as well as of some government policies of recent years. The article is aimed at both UK and New Zealand, where policies for universities, science and R&D in the last twenty years have had many similarities. It is written as a political, and somewhat journalistic piece, rather than as an academic article, and so I have not felt shy about using anecdotes, and personal references. However, I hope it has sufficient scholarly depth to be taken seriously. The article is quite wide-ranging, and it is likely that readers would want to criticize it in some areas where I am not an expert. However, for very big issues like this, no-one else really has in-depth knowledge of all the relevant areas – and that is one of the reasons why I feel impelled to write this piece.
My views are not exactly congruent with those of the Royal Society document. I welcome comments, and discussion, whether or not writers agree with my point of view.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Miller
Can you tell me where i can see Jeff Talons letter re science in NZ, please.
Thanks