Is there a lesson here/hear for our Minister/s of science & technology & manpower?

Obama meets with Nobelists
President emphasizes science's role as part of national policy


By Ed O'Keefe
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 2, 2009

President Obama met briefly Tuesday with the other Americans accepting Nobel prizes next week, continuing an Oval Office tradition even though he happens to be among this year's winners.

Americans account for 11 of this year's 13 recipients. Obama will accept his Peace Prize in Norway on Dec. 10, the day the others receive their prizes in Sweden.

Obama impressed his fellow winners with his grasp of scientific issues, said Elizabeth H. Blackburn, one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

"He communicated to us that he's very serious that science is a very important part of national policy and that's where the future lies," Blackburn said. Obama also noted that his daughters have shown excitement about science, she said.

At least eight of this year's Nobel winners received tens of millions of dollars in federal research and development funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Energy Department, according to the White House.

Blackburn will share the physiology and medicine prize with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak. The trio has received more than $22 million in research grants over the years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the NIH. Each has also received separate grants from the NIH and the National Science Foundation.

Two Americans, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz, who are sharing the Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Israeli Ada E. Yonath, have been granted about $14 million by the general medical sciences institute since 1971. Total NIH support for the researchers has exceeded $17 million. Economics prize winner Elinor Ostrom has been granted $27.2 million over the course of her studies. She will share the prize with Oliver Williamson, who has received $235,900 for two projects.
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"Without federal support, there would be no support for this kind of research, because the federal government is the only one that provides basic science support," said Alan I. Leshner, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

DESIDERATA: A few years ago, the Malaysian ministry oversighting science and technology launched with some fanfare a programme to attract "talented" Malaysians resident overseas, especially those sceintists and ICT specialists, to RETURN HOME TO NEGARAKU. My regular mediawatch as both Journalist and Blogger recalls that one batch of 100-plus Malaysians answered this call of "national service", came back hopeful and optimistic, but within ONE YEAR, all butt one/wan "Last man still standing" the respondents departed again from Malaysia, despondent and defeated. Between form and substance, I believe the Ministry and his cohorts in the workplaces where the Malaysians relocated to from abroad felt their "talents" were hardly appreciated.

Now the current minister is singing, joined in chorus by other fellow colleagues -- plus our Ambassador to the United States in his early days of assumption of a key office, JJ -- are singuing the same or similar tune of "WELCOME BACK MALAYSIANS" to serve thy country...?

I put a question mark there/dare for all involved to ponder deep and wide -- is the BN government serious and sincere in such programmes.
You need to go to the problems besetting our country's manpower and human resource development -- like implementing MERITOCRACY and EXCELLENCE as core values, just one quick take from Desi? -- before they shoot off their gaps where the sun still shineth before more Malaysians, resident here and overseas, remark with some justification, their brains are located at the orifice where the sun *don't shine.

PS: *Stickers of English purity will point out that this is a grammar howler -- Single nounc/subject followed by a plural verb; but as they say, cowboys like to yodel: I dont find my lover loving me no more. I gonna kick the bucket if she dont turn up within the hour -- then he go off to down three barrels/buckets of beer, scotch and tonic for the sext three hours. Remains kicking and alive -- can still pick up a fight with the next guy sitting at the bar minding his own and others' business like all good cowboys don't do:(!