Monday, May 14th 2007
Berkeley on the news
So, for a Berkeley-related entry, I saw a reference to us and the BP deal on Fox news just a few minutes ago. It was a short clip quoting your average righteously-indignant Berkeley student and a faculty member I believe named Kamman. (How hard do you think they had to look to find a student who wasn’t apathetic on this deal?)
So, Claudia Cowen reported on BP offering Cal $500 M to do fuels research. Birgeneau commented about translating research interests into the marketplace. And of course, the students camped out in the redwoods (that I photographed here) got an interview saying the corporations were benefiting. Professor Patzek said public research is a good, “they have the cash, we have the researchers, let’s put two and two together”.
It’s always nice to see Cal on tv!
I’ve yet to see a convincing reason to why this whole BP thing is so bad. All it has been so far is a knee-jerk reaction against a corporation. “It’s private!” GASP*
It’s a win/win for Berkeley and BP, but of course being a leftist tard is makes people very complacent.
Either this research does not get done at all or BP takes its money somewhere else. Maybe even to a PRIVATE (ZOMFG!!111!) university. In any case two things are pretty certain. Research should be done to make better products or give us more insight into the world around us, not to sit on our hands and feel good about it. Taking on this big project will add to the Cal resume as an institution, which would make it a contender for further projects and the money.
Comment by Ghost of Clark Kerr — 5/15/2007 @ 1:12 am
That would have been Dan Kammen of Public Policy and the Energy & Resources Group.
Comment by Stefano — 5/18/2007 @ 11:31 am