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The University of Ottawa is still trying to stop the progress of Marc Kelly's Mathematical ideas.

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On Wednesday Oct 21st, 2008, The Faculty of Science of the University of Ottawa Expelled Student Marc Kelly out of the Academic Session
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The Department of Physics Disagrees With The Nature and Methods of His Research
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This Is The First Time in the History of the University of Ottawa that a Student Has Been Deregistered by the Administration Against His Will
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This is a dangerous abuse of power and is a threat to all students.

The following are selected pages from a set of partial notes written during the preliminary explorative stage of Marc Kelly's ongoing research. Marc Kelly is interested in understanding (1) how the department governance structure and (2) how the classroom governance structure determine the progression of science. Marc Kelly's research directly confronts these structures. Science is a human activity, and as a human activity, it will only contribute to all the problems that human civilization is now faced with unless it is given careful attention by every scientist, using every mode of human thought, in an environment free from all forms of restriction. 

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Marc Kelly's research uses an unusual combination of (i) human dialogue (e.g. video recorded group sessions, audio recorded conversations), (ii) mathematical modeling, and (iii) philosophical pondering. 

Marc Kelly does not believe that new knowledge must necessarily be constrained to build upon established truth. The freedom of creation guides and drives his research.

Marc Kelly does not believe research requires well-defined problems. 

The adventure of exploration fuels the generative source of novelty.  

COMMENTS

Anonymous

Oct 27 2008, posted to UofOwatch.blogspot.com


A few years ago, at the University of Ottawa, I took the graduate physics class PHY5361 - nonlinear dynamics in the natural sciences, with Dr. Andre Longtin. In this class, I remember a student was permitted by Dr. Longtin to do their project on modeling WAR. Is modeling WAR "physics"?

Given that Dr. Longtin is also on the committee that shut down Mr. Kelly's project, I see what happened to Mr. Kelly as nothing but hypocrisy by the department, and the department's actions clearly politically motivated.

Lastly, who has the right to define what is "conventional" physics? Those opposed to the efforts of Mr. Kelly really need to read Einstein's (he received the Noble prize in physics for the "photoelectric effect") damning critique on separating the "natural" sciences from the "social" sciences and defining fields of study as "conventional". By the logic of the previous post (anonymous) on what is "conventional" physics, where is the outcry against the newly created >>PHYSICS<< course PHY4722 - Physique BIOLOGIQUE! given by Dr. Bela Joos, who is also on the committee that shut down Mr. Kelly's project.

Hypocrisy. Pure hypocrisy. 

Jennifer Drummond (philosophy student)

Oct 26 2008, emailed

Hey!

I just want to say I support your project...that idea's genius & I wish you had the opportunity to follow through with it....
If you're too radical for science and math, ditch it for philosophy...that's what all the great scientists of the past did...

stick it to the man!!
Jen


Bahar Karbakhsh  (2nd year law student)

Oct 24 2008, emailed

Hello Marc,

I am a second year law student at the University of Ottawa in the Common Law program. I just received the email regarding your expulsion.  I would like to convey my support for your endeavours and my sadness to hear that established science has once again tried to squash the very ingenuity and creativity which have historically been linked to some of mankind’s greatest discoveries.  The manner in which the University has ‘dealt’ with you as its student is extremely unprofessional and lacks integrity.

I wish you success in all that you do and hope that the administration will immediately make amends for what they have done.

All the Best,
Bahar Karbakhsh


François Leblanc (3rd year geophysics student)

Oct 24 2008, emailed


It is unfortunate that you sent this at such a short notice. I will not be present today. I would have liked to be there.

 

I do feel Marc's research had some value, were it applied to game-theoretic systems, at least in the fields of economics and evolutionary biology. Granted, it doesn't have much to do with physics,but that doesn't mean it is meaningless, and I do feel the department of physics should have pointed him in the right direction instead. The author could have discussed the effects of stubbornness on iterated non-cooperative games, the evolutionary effects of gossip and influenceability in altruistic populations, could have tried to find ways of estimating values of stubbornness, etc. based on the stock market. In fact, I probably would have liked to write a paper about those things with him.

 

But the poor sap, instead, decided to write about academic freedom and some related bullsh*t. In other words, he was onto something, but acted too reactionarily, and was blinded by his own (and his advisor's?) navel. The footnotes and references are laughably ridiculous, even for a 4th year physics course, and his thesis is nothing more than a self-referential political essay with an unilateral slant, that happens to include some second-year mathematics. It is written as though its sole purpose was to"stick it" to the Department, not to develop a mathematical model of human dialogue. 

 

So here is my two cents' worth of wisdom: Marc Kelly certainly did not deregister against his will. He brought it onto himself in a fit of stubbornness. I cannot understand either how Dr. Piercy could have"corrupted" and "sabotaged" his data. The overhyped and reactionary tone of your letter leaves me unfazed. As it appeals to emotion rather than logic, I am certainly willing to believe that Marc did have a choice, and probably WAS given the option to change the slant of his research.

 

I would certainly like the Department and Faculty to explain their actions, and possibly put up some guidelines promoting inter-departmental cooperation when it comes to the honours projects. But the bottom line is,if Mr. Kelly had wanted otherwise than what happened, he would have chosen it. I am not impressed.

 

That is all. Please keep me up to date as this unravels.

 

 --François Leblanc,

3rd year geophysics student.