Researcher: Czech scientific discipline is average, wins few ERC grants (Prague Monitor, widely discussed inwards Czech press)Jungwirth is a fellow member of the European Research Council. Well, I recall that I was notwithstanding a high schoolhouse pupil when I was pretty much decided that the Czech contributions to scientific discipline inwards full general in addition to physics inwards particular are pretty much negligible. In fact, earlier I came to the college, I was already worried whether at that topographic point could last someone inwards our homeland who could instruct me/us things needed for the cutting-edge physics etc.
Just to last sure, the Czech educational activity bringing you lot upwardly to the early on 1970s or thus is really good, I notwithstanding think. But at the enquiry level, the numbers beak clearly:
Researchers from other European Union countries submit ii or 3 times to a greater extent than applications for ERC grants than those from the Czech Republic, Jungwirth said. Moreover, 12 per centum of the grant applications are successful on average, patch Czech projects succeed solely inwards 5 per centum of cases. Czech projects receive got won ERC 25 grants worth 41 1000000 euros since 2007, patch Austrian in addition to Hungarian projects receive got won 189 in addition to 54 grants, respectively.Austrian in addition to Republic of Hungary - totally comparable countries – receive got won 7.6 in addition to 2.2 times to a greater extent than grants than Czechia, respectively. The departure of these numbers from 1 plainly cannot last considered dissonance in addition to – despite the EU's numerous primal shortcomings – I don't recall that it's an endeavour of the evil European Union organs to wound Czechia, either.
Nevertheless, many Czechs believe that the enquiry done at the Czech institutions is i of goodness quality. Now, you lot may observe some Czechs who receive got done OK or goodness enquiry abroad, let's non larn obsessed alongside examples. But what close the Czech institutions? We used to last goodness alongside unusual brains – well, peculiarly when Rudolph II was the holy Roman emperor (1575-1612). Rudolph moved the Habsburg upper-case missive of the alphabet from Vienna to Prague inwards 1583 in addition to the upper-case missive of the alphabet stayed at that topographic point through 1611 (it was also the upper-case missive of the alphabet betwixt 1355 in addition to 1437).
Under Rudolph II, Prague was a genuine European hub of arts in addition to sciences. In physics, nosotros are aware of this fact peculiarly because of the contributions past times Johannes Kepler (a German) in addition to Tycho Brahe (a Dane) that were largely made inwards Prague in addition to at nearby observatories etc. We may also notice that Rudolph II wasn't a full-blown Czech, you lot know, thus full-blown Czechs according to the Czechs' prevailing Definition of Czechs shouldn't last praised for the intellectual prosperity of the metropolis inwards that era.
There are diverse reasons why the results are thus bad but a concise summary seems appropriate here:
Czech scientific institutions are non open, they lack external experts in addition to top researchers from abroad in addition to their managements reach non response for the results to whatever superior body,Jungwirth said. Very true. Well, at that topographic point are some promising exceptions. These days, it's unavoidable that most of the relevant scientific groups inwards the the world are "global" which also agency that they tin ship away beak English linguistic communication in addition to they receive got to beak English linguistic communication most of the time. English linguistic communication is notwithstanding rather unusual inwards the Czech enquiry groups. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fact that is softly related – both a partial argue in addition to a partial number – is that the number of unusual researchers is really low.
Well, the number isn't depression solely because of the linguistic communication barrier – a negative side effect of our otherwise wonderful national revival 200 years ago. People exactly don't desire to compete alongside foreigners. Well, it's in all probability true inwards other countries every bit good that most people would prefer non to compete for the jobs alongside foreigners. But there's an additional work inwards Czechia that really causes the problems: They are allowed non to compete. They are non really accountable for their piteous results – the enquiry institutes' administration is "too independent", inwards this sense.
On top of that, people are encouraged to tell lots of inaccurate or quite weird things. For example, Jungwirth sounded "critical" but fifty-fifty the master copy quote attributed to him is:
Czech scientific discipline is average.Is it? You know, when 12% of the grant applications are successful inwards the EU, thus 12% is the average figure. And because the Czech applicants receive got the 5% success rate, they are plainly not average. They are below the average or subpar. This contention boils downwards to rudimentary number theory again: twelve is greater than five.
You know what's going on here, don't you? The phrase
Someone is averageis used every bit a euphemism for
Someone isn't at the top.But an unpleasant fact is that these ii sentences aren't equivalent. And most people who aren't at the top are below the average, in addition to that subgroup below the average includes most of the researchers at Czech institutions, too.
Czechs are oft brainwashed into thinking that the Czech enquiry is in addition to has been important. I recall that this contention has never been right, peculiarly non inwards genuinely theoretical or pure science. We are oft told close roughly 10 corking Czech inventions such as
- Contact lens: Otto Wichterle
- Electric tram: František Křižík
- Oldest car: Leopold Sviták
- Swing plough: Veverka (=squirrel) cousins
- Ship's propeller: Josef František Ressel
- Lightning rod: Prokop Diviš
- Sugar cube: a Swiss guy inwards Dačice
- The give-and-take "robot": Čapek brothers
- Semtex: terrorists' favorite explosive
- Checo: a really practical way to create pervitin
But pure science? That would last way weaker. Maybe some mathematicians could last mentioned every bit the best counterexamples - e.g. the manly soul parent of the Čech cohomology. Some "more modern" counterparts of Kepler in addition to Brahe could last constitute every bit good – e.g. our Germans such every bit Gregor Mendel. Or Einstein who taught inwards Prague for a yr in addition to realized the importance of the equivalence regulation inwards Prague. But those aren't examples of a goodness scientific discipline administration run past times Czechs.
It's non exactly a bad heritage of communism. I've read some history of the folks who were famous every bit physicists inwards Prague of the 19th century. One of them was writing rants against James Clerk Maxwell in addition to his "ludicrous" theories. He was a genuine counterpart of the likes of Peter Woit – an aggressive know-nothing in addition to a null that exactly tries to brand the life harder for the giants. When it comes to the people claiming to last researchers, we've had some really, really bad materials that could solely dream close becoming average.
Because it has travel thus normal to hire in addition to pay people in addition to groups without whatever demonstrable results or successes, the people who are really competitive at some global grade are extremely rare in addition to they tin ship away easily travel gurus at the Czech institutions for long decades – fifty-fifty though they receive got oft lost whatever contact alongside the cutting border in addition to fifty-fifty their results decades agone weren't really remarkable but at most average at the global scale.
What I receive got written higher upwardly may last plenty to empathize the toxic mix. In some sense, the Czech field does receive got some honour towards scientific discipline although it is non really interested inwards science. So it's ready to fund scientific discipline without atmospheric condition in addition to accountability. But the funding isn't super-generous – scientific discipline is exactly a relatively rubber way to larn a near-average salary. The piteous results exhibit what you lot tin ship away larn if you lot fund a whole manufacture without atmospheric condition in addition to accountability. You but shouldn't reach that.
Mediocrity, silence, in addition to lack of inventiveness receive got travel the ideal. Needless to say, vivid immature people see that the worshiping of the subpar erstwhile national "leaders of science" in addition to "aging" are the ii most preferred types of function for their upward mobility. Most of them don't similar this offering in addition to they either avoid scientific discipline or essay to motility abroad.
How tin ship away it last fixed? Well, I really recall that the rules that function receive got been to a greater extent than oft than non discovered in addition to it would last desirable to recall how to adopt them in addition to how to become at to the lowest degree average, indeed, because that would last a huge improvement.
I am certain that a vast bulk of the TRF readers isn't interested inwards similar issues inwards Czechia but I notwithstanding believe that some of the ideas in addition to mechanisms are relevant exterior the stinky Czech pond (=the Czech basin or crater), too.
Completely off-topic:
Make your Justin Bieber inwards i day
There seem to last disciplines inwards which Czechs are arguably better. The professional person Internet prankster Kazma – see previous weblog posts – is earning millions of crowns in addition to holy cow, I recall he deserves it.
This time, he in addition to his staff created a imitation Justin Bieber:
A novel episode total of unbelievable turnarounds ended alongside a lawsuit from Justin Bieber (a video inwards Czech)In November, Bieber had his offset concert inwards Prague – in addition to the media reported that he was goodness but likewise cold. He didn't fifty-fifty greet Prague. Well, the video higher upwardly in all probability explains why.
Kazma organized a casting to choice a man child who plays Bieber's vocal on his guitar at home. Among hundreds or thus candidates, they picked the i who looked similar Justin Bieber, a guy inwards Ostrava who never played inwards public. They moved him to the Prague Dinopark (a Jurassic Park alongside models of dinosaurs, nosotros receive got i inwards Pilsen, too) which is located side past times side to the huge O2 Arena, a large hall for ice-hockey in addition to concerts. (See Street View.)
Kazma corrupted a hairdresser, some stylists, in addition to they made him behavior similar Justin Bieber. But the piteous guy didn't fifty-fifty know. On the roof of the Dinopark rented past times Kazma, they installed the ordinary guy from Ostrava in addition to he was playing Bieber's well-known "you should travel in addition to f*ck yourself" 2015 song. The fans – over a K of girls – were driven absolutely insane. The jail cellphone phones were running at total steam in addition to they were yelling etc. No i tin ship away distinguish similar faces from xviii meters thus it worked.
The unknown guy from Ostrava became an instant celebrity. Kazma also wanted his imitation Bieber to see the existent one. So they borrowed identical cars every bit inwards Bieber's convoy, studied the routes he would receive got to the arena (such people don't travel through the VIP entrance but the technical entrance), in addition to they got in. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 tense encounter took identify inwards the garage – some bones were broken past times the American bodyguards, it seems.
This chore was to a greater extent than oft than non done past times Kazma's staff. Meanwhile, he was securing funding. Celebrities similar Bieber unremarkably rent several fancy hotels at once, to discourage journalists in addition to fans from reserving the same hotels. The determination close the hotel is solely done inwards the terminal minute. Could Kazma et al. last unopen to Bieber, anyway? Yes: They used the same strategy every bit the celebrities. So they hired rooms inwards several hotels in addition to when it was known which i was picked, they used the reservation.
They had a 2nd imitation Justin Bieber at that topographic point in addition to told everybody – all the journalists – that it was exactly a prank. The fans were driven insane again, anyway. The journalists could receive got persuasion that past times knowing that it was a prank, they prevented farther cool development of the prank. But this supposition was absolutely wrong. The truthfulness was really a key to an fifty-fifty bigger prank that secured much of the funding for the whole prank. What happened?
Well, they indeed had a imitation Justin Bieber but the existent i came there, too. And a fan pantsed him. Because the normal journalists were convinced that there's zip interesting to see – exactly a imitation Bieber – they didn't tape it. So Kazma was the solely i who had the video of a pantsed Justin Bieber in addition to they sold it to TMZ, an Internet TV, for $25,000. From there, it spread to many similar video providers inwards the world. I didn't really empathize whether it was a existent or imitation Bieber who was pantsed in addition to I am non certain whether I attention close this particular likewise much. ;-)
Also, I am non certain whether $25,000 was plenty to encompass all the expenses but their mightiness to (partly?) fund themselves inwards this way is amazing.
Kazma is a borderline criminal but an amazing one, peculiarly if his version of the events is true – which I tin ship away never last quite certain about.
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