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This was a letter to Russian scientists and Russian society
Starting 1 January 2012 the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP) phases down.
Letter of Aleksandr Gorsky, Aleksei Morozov, Pavel Pahlov
In political stream of last months, even millstone events in our country can be unnoticed.
De facto, starting 1 January it will be abolished ITEP, it is one of the leading Russian research
centers, who preserved honor, reputation, and scientific authority in the world.
During many years ITEP he had to fight desperately for a living.
The institute always was an 'island of intellectual freedom' in Soviet Union, a danger of
defeat existed starting beginning of 60s, when the legendary Alikhanov, who was one
pillars
of the Soviet nuclear program, was removed from the director position.
Such dangers appeared numerous times, but in all the cases the power ceded,
since it was interested the interests of the state and understood that the
intellectual achievements are impossible in over-regulated medium.
But times change. The state leaders received the intellectual island
by inheritance
divest assets that don't belong to the main business
Now a
grave digger of ITEP is the modern director, which is not related to the fundamental science.
In the best case, his mad actions can be explained by complete incompetence.
Scientific trips, trips to conferences, schools for young scientists are forbidden.
Work with university students and high-school students is obstructed.
Just as the state tries to organize an effective interaction with scientific diaspora
the direction of ITEP tries to dismiss all members having scientific contracts abroad.
As an insurance shot, it is planned
3-time reduction of base pay of scientists up to 6000 rubles [200 dollars].
Visits of foreign physicists and mathematicians to ITEP are forbidden.
A recent example. Recently a well-known American physicist
Stanley Brodsky
visited Moscow,
He many times visited the Institute starting the middle of 70s, now he was denied admission
to entrance to the territory to give a lecture. As a compensation, he received a possibility
to spend several hours at security desk without a right to use the Internet.
Here estimated this as 'GULAG-light'. Note that the modern ITEP corresponds also financial
definitions of a concentration camp, because the security receive more than workers inside.
Long it was not so ashamed for Russia.
The obvious purpose of such politics is to force all qualified scientists to leave the Institute and the country.
They will not make difficulties to import 'brains' from abroad [the Skolkovo project].
The students of Moscow State University, Moscow Physical and Technological Institute, and
Moscow Institute of Physical Engineering receive lessons impossible from the point of view
of a state interested in its own future.
Waves of mega-grants [Medvedev's project for foreign scientists]
must form new modern laboratories of world level. Apparently, for a higher
enthusiasm of builders of 'rosy future'
they problematically smash up one of best scientific
institutes in Russia. It seems that they are men of humor.
A strong state as distinct from a weak one can find a force to stand corrected and to draw conclusions.
Authorized by D.A.Medvedev joining of ITEP and Kurchatov Institute
in the modern format
is an obvious mistake which have to be recognized. It is necessary to search a solution
profitable to the state. It is difficult to imagine that the purpose of the President
was an annihilation of ITEP and trivial usurpation of 37 hectares in the central part of Moscow.
However, we observe precisely this, we quickly move to innovation future without scientists,
without education, without shame
Happy New 2012 Year !
A.S.Gorsky,
, A.Yu.Morozov,
P.N.Pakhlov