Bell Labs Kills Fundamental Physics Research

[n2doc]

By Priya Ganapati August 27, 2008 | 2:29:46 PM

After six Nobel Prizes, the invention of the transistor, laser and countless contributions to computer science and technology, it is the end of the road for Bell Labs' fundamental physics research lab.

Alcatel-Lucent, the parent company of Bell Labs, is pulling out of basic science, material physics and semiconductor research and will instead be focusing on more immediately marketable areas such as networking, high-speed electronics, wireless, nanotechnology and software.

The idea is to align the research work in the Lab closer to areas that the parent company is focusing on, says Peter Benedict, spokesperson for Bell Labs and Alcatel-Lucent Ventures.

"In the new innovation model, research needs to keep addressing the need of the mother company," he says.
That view is shortsighted and may drastically curtail the Labs' ability to come up with truly innovative discoveries, respond critics.

"Fundamental physics is absolutely crucial to computing," says Mike Lubell, director of public affairs for the American Physical Society. "Say in the case of integrated circuits, there were many, many small steps that occurred along the way resulting from decades worth of work in matters of physics."

Bell Labs was one of the last bastions of basic research within the corporate world, which over the past several decades has largely focused its R&D efforts on applied research -- areas of study with more immediate prospects of paying off.

more:

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/08/bell-labs-kills.html

Typical, short sighted Conglomerate. I am surprised it took them this long. I guess they can raise the CEO's pay some more, and let the Chinese or Indians (who do know the value of research and education) do the innovation. :puke:

[villager]

1. you don't want to "waste" research on mere knowledge, after all -- all must have utility

Plus, what if you accidentally prove the world's more than 6,000 years old?

[truedelphi]

2. What a blow to our history of innovation

I used to live not far from the Bell Labs, Lisle, Illinois campus and the things the researchers came up with were awesome.

Oh well. Short term profits before anything else, even if long term profits end up suffering.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Sadly true, and a major reason for why the world is as screwed up as it is

[thunder rising]

4. Bell Labs was killed off a long time ago. They're just making it official.

[DCKit]

5. It's a sure thing the bean counters and bureaucrats have been calling the shots...

for a long, long time. Not an environment to inspire creative minds.

Even the colleges and universities are being pushed to concentrate on research with $$$ potential over pure science.

[caraher]

6. That's right - this is simply the coup de grace

My PhD advisor bailed from Bell over 15 years ago... a lot of the equipment we used was donated by Bell Labs people who recognized that their days of basic research were numbered.

[truedelphi]

9. meanwhile, American scientists with a NEED to know

Move overseas.

This country has really become a sad, sad place.

[Ready4Change]

7. Diverting funds to Black Mesa.

Or maybe Aperture Science. That's where the cutting edge experimentation is being done nowadays. ;)

[truedelphi]

8. Not familiar with Black Mesa.

Can you Splain it, Kiddo?

[edhopper]

10. Now is the time

for Republicans to once again go after basic science funding. If the Market can't support it, we should we?
:sarcasm: