|
May 23rd 2006 EVENT
- Brain Drain "witness seminar" (Click
to find out more)
Our Research
The term ‘brain drain’ was adopted in
the 1960s in the context of increasing concerns within
the UK that the country was losing skilled scientific
and engineering personnel to other countries, notably
to the US. Although the term has since resurfaced in
a variety of academic, policy and popular discussions
about the international mobility of scientists ,
there is a notable absence of scholarly literature
analysing the original debate. This is especially surprising,
considering that the original debate was widely covered
by the British media, generated protracted discussion
within Whitehall, and provoked substantial claims and
counter-claims from various quarters about both the
existence and possible significance of the putative ‘brain
drain’.
The aim of this research is to provide, for the first
time, a detailed historical analysis of the ‘brain
drain’ debate as a social phenomenon in the
UK during the 1950s and 1960s. It will draw primarily
on recently declassified documents in the National
Archive (Public Record Office) and print media coverage
archived in the British Library Newspaper Library.
These sources will be supplemented by other relevant
archival material and oral histories.
CLICK
HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
Who is carrying out the research?
Dr
Brian Balmer
Dr
Jane Gregory
Dr Matthew Godwin
When is this research being done?
The project runs from July 2005 to the end of June 2006.
Were you a 'brain drain' scientist?
If you were a scientist who emigrated to the United
States in the 1950s or 1960s, or were involved in any
way in the 'brain drain' debate at this time, we would
very much like to hear from you about your memories of
the 'brain drain'.
Please contact:
E-mail: m.godwin@ucl.ac.uk
Or contact one of the other members of the project team
(you can get their details by clicking on their names
above).
|
