As part of it's plans to plug an £80 million gap in it's budget over the next three years, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has decided that Jodrell Bank Radio Astronomy and some of the programs based there are "lower priority". In particular, the projects MERLIN and e-MERLIN are the only systems in the world which can provide resolution on the scale of that of the Hubble Space Telescope and the potential rating done by the STFC buts these at the threat of closure. MERLIN has just undergone an £8 million upgrade to become e-MERLIN which makes it the most powerful radio astronomy tool in the world and will be coming online at the end of this year. If the STFC cuts go ahead, they will come into effect from April 2009 meaning this upgrade will have been a complete waste.
There is widespread shock and anger among the science community as well as the general public regarding this decision and as such, I'm helping in a campaign from a students and general public perspective with other students from Manchester.
We've set up a web site hosting at
www.savejodrellbank.org.uk which tells you what you can do to help save Jodrell Bank and oppose the funding cuts which are going on throughout science in the UK at the moment.
I would really appreciate if you can take a look at the web site hosting to decide for yourself and if you do want to help, everyone on the team would really appreciate it.
Thanks
Jonathan
Save Jodrell Bank
Enter your petition here to save it; writetothem.com
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