Scientists around the world should protest efforts by the government of Turkey to erode academic autonomy. And the wider world should note the threat to democracy.

On the eve of a week-long holiday to celebrate the end of the fasting period of Ramadan, the Turkish government executed an extraordinary scientific coup.

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A number of meetings about the fate of Feza Gursey Institute was held.
In a final meeting held at Bogazici University on August 17th the
following developments came forth:

1. Bogazici University who used to be the host university of the Feza
Gursey Institute declared its intention support Feza Gursey Institute
in the form of providing and refurnishing the building as well as
financing the scientific meetings planned for the rest of 2011.

2. President of Bogazici University is going to meet the Science,
Industry and Technology Minister in September. With the backing of
several universities, their presidents and the mathematics and the
physics community, the President of Boğaziçi University the demands
of the mathematical sciences community:

a. Feza Gursey Institute to be funded through TUBITAK or
another branch of government, to continue to act as a research
institute in the areas of theoretical physics and mathematics;

b. Feza Gursey Institute to be related to a multitude of
universities, to be promoted to become a regional and international
center as an independent mathematical sciences institute.

All parties involved in this meeting expressed their strong wish that
Feza Gursey Institute not only to continue to act as a model research
center in Turkey, but many similar research centers to flourish
throughout Turkey.

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View online article: Government cuts: Call to save science institute in Turkey
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c/o Emin Asilturk
Fax: +90 312 219 67 45
Tel: +90 312 219 69 69
E-mail: emin.asilturk@sanayi.gov.tr

Dear Minister,

I would like to bring to your attention the unique role the Feza Gursey
Institute (FGI) has played in international theoretical physics. The FGI
has served a focus for meetings and summer schools on frontline issues
on a range of physics disciplines from astrophysics to string theory.
Theoretical physics is not like many other areas of science and
engineering, having a unique history and culture, and accessing a
relatively small community of international as well as Turkish
physicists. It may be a small community but historically it has been
disproportionately influential in the development of science and
technology, which is one reason why many countries maintain stand-alone
theory research institutes. In the United States and Europe there are
several including, for example, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical
Physics in California, and the ECT* in Trento, Italy. These institutes
are extremely valuable for nurturing and forming young scientists. I
have several Turkish colleagues now who benefitted directly from
programs at the FGI or from physicists who have interacted there in the
past.

I witnessed first hand how the FGI helped young turkish physicists. I
was a lecturer at an FGI summer institute on neutrinos and nuclear
astrophysics in July 2002. The graduate students at this school came
from all over Turkey, from a range of institutions, many of which had
meager resources and personnel. The FGI experience was important in
their professional development, giving them exposure to international
leaders in their fields and providing them with invaluable professional
contacts.

I would urge you to attempt to maintain both the location (ideal from
the standpoint of accessing local universities as well as being
convenient for international visitors) and the theoretical physics focus
of the FGI. Losing the FGI as it is presently constituted would be a
blow to the world-wide theoretical physics effort and to the next
generation of Turkish theoretical physicists.

Sincerely,

George M. Fuller
Professor of Physics
and
Director, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences
University of California, San Diego

We heard with surprise that there are plans to shut down the Feza Gürsey Institute for fundamental science. This institute has an important role in the international community of physics to educate young scientists and to show the strength of the Turkish scientific community to scientists in the rest of the world. It has been established in honour of prof. Feza Gürsey, who was a widely recognized expert in mathematical physics, especially on the role of symmetry in physics.

We hope that these plans can be canceled and that the Gürsey institute can remain as a center of research and education on theoretical and mathematical physics, in the interest of the Turkish and the international physics community.

Sincerely yours,
Antoine Van Proeyen
Head of the division of Theoretical Physics, K.U. Leuven

For the original letter please click.

IPM – Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences
and Sharif University