#MarsdenSchmarsden
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nicgaston.bsky.social
Lol lol lol. Social science, you say?
#MarsdenSchmarsden
annegoulding.bsky.social Anne Goulding @annegoulding.bsky.social · Dec 4
Listening to RNZ discussing the gender gap in maths scores with John Gerritson saying educators will want to know reasons. Would make a good basis for a research project. Oh hang on ......
December 4, 2024 at 7:04 PM
nicgaston.bsky.social
First thing written. Need to walk it off and then will write the longer follow up 🤷‍♀️

#MarsdenSchmarsden
I am horrified by today’s announcement. I am absolutely disgusted by the way that the kind of science I, and my colleagues do – as physical scientists involved in research that is purposeful, focused on solutions to climate and sustainability challenges, that do have real economic value – is being weaponised against our colleagues in the humanities and the social sciences. The work that our colleagues in the humanities and social sciences do is incredibly important. We can do all the work in developing clean technologies we want, but if we don’t understand the barrriers to people purchasing that tech? It becomes useless. We need scholars who work in the arts, in the social sciences, who ask questions about who we are and why. We need these people not only so that they may publish their work – and it is fair to consider that esoteric at times – but so they may teach the next generation. Teaching should never be reduced to repeating what is contained in decades old textbooks, but must be based in active scholarship – in asking research questions of relevance to our times today, and to our society. And in any case, can it really be any more esoteric than quantum physics? In my experience, when I look at the work of my colleagues in the humanities and social scientists, it is always far more based in the needs of now and here that anything. Science that has economic impact is already privileged in our funding system. It has access to funding through MBIE, both via Endeavour programmes and Smart Ideas funding. Health research has its own funding mechanism, through the Health Research Council. We could argue about the relative amounts of funding that are awarded through these different mechanisms, but the fact remains: the Marsden Fund is the only funding source that operates even-handedly across disciplines. The Marsden Fund is not a partisan beast. It was set up by Simon Upton, when he was the responsible Minister for the National Government in 1992. It was established to support research excellence – based on discipline specific assessment of what excellence is – because it has long been understood by scientists, and in scientific communities, that the path from fundamental research to impact is a long and unpredictable one. Trying to ‘pick winners’ when funding fundamental science is a fools task: the impact is real, but it is measurable only at a collective level. The context we are currently in, with our Science and University funding systems being reviewed, is also important. There are significant changes on the cards in the next years, and we all understand that. Changes to the PBRF or to the overheads paid to our universities might change the overall equation in terms of funding the vital work done by the humanities and social scientist in Aotearoa New Zealand. But none of those decisions have yet been made public. As it stands, this decision is an outrageous indictment on the research funding system in Aotearoa, and our collective understanding of what scholarship is. Scientists who take pride in your work on ‘fundamental’, or ‘blue skies’ topics? Watch out. You will be next if we let this stand. “ Professor Nicola Gaston, FRSNZ Usual disclaimer that I am CD of MacD and currently funded by Marsden. I’m also really fucking mad but you don’t have to print that bit. Will go take a walk – thanks for the opportunity to comment. N
December 4, 2024 at 3:18 AM
nicgaston.bsky.social
godDAMN this stupid milkloving piece of shit dumbass mean spirited sale at briscoes racist sexist 40% off deck furniture piss country
#MarsdenSchmarsden
December 4, 2024 at 1:48 AM