Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence.
- Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
- Date:
- 2011
Licence: Open Government Licence
Credit: Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![make a permanent commitment to ensure that at least 50% of STFC Council members are practicing academics and include at least one individual from each of the core scientific fields for which the STFC is responsible—astronomy, particle physics and nuclear physics. i Future communication and the next STFC Chief Executive 96. One of the common themes running through this report and the evidence we received was the adequacy of communication between the STFC and researchers. That continuing difficulties persist between researchers and STFC senior management was clearly shown to us. Two issues during our inquiry epitomised these problems: first, the dispute over the long-term strategy for astronomy dating back to accession to the ESO;'°° and, second, the apparent misunderstanding over the STFC’s plans for research on_ technology, instrumentation and detector development.’”’ On the latter, although the STFC was keen to emphasise to us that efforts had been made following the publication of the delivery plan to clarify the STFC’s position,’* the evident ongoing concern in oral and written evidence on this issue indicates enough was not done. This could, and should, have been cleared up far sooner following the publication of the STFC’s delivery plan. When we asked Professor Mason: should [the STFC] really leave it to a public session of the Science and Technology Committee of the House of Commons to communicate in that way? Shouldn’t you be communicating directly and clarifying? He replied that the STFC had “done so”, and cited meetings of the Institute of Physics and Royal Astronomical Society at which the STFC’s director of science programmes had made the STFC’s position “absolutely crystal clear”.’? 97. The current STFC Chief Executive comes to the end of his term in March 2012.'° Professor Mike Bode, Director of the Astrophysics Research Institute at Liverpool John Moores University, set out his assessment of what the post of STFC Chief Executive demands: There is no doubt that the chief exec’s job is an incredibly tough and demanding one. The STFC is an exceptionally complex organisation. [There] is a perception in the community that there has been a disconnect between [other senior STFC staff], who have been interacting with the community, and the chief executive. The perception is [...] that the chief executive has been more upward facing into Government, which is obviously a vital role of the chief exec, but he has not been pushing the basic science $6 As discussed in paragraphs 22 to 34. '§7 As discussed in paragraphs 77 to 80. 158° 142 9 As above '®° STFC Council, Terms of reference for Council working group, 28 July 2010, STFC website: www.stfc.ac.uk/About%20STFC/19176.aspx](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3222204x_0040.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
