11 Comments
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Jack Shanahan's avatar

All the focus in the world on technology will be meaningless without the accompanying talent base to bring that tech to life. Which of course includes a very significant percentage of immigrants.

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Nathan Lambert's avatar

It’s rough out here on the ground :(

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Liam Roche's avatar

It’s not just students. Everyone, high skilled workers, tourists, etc are all now avoiding the USA. The perception is that the rule of law no longer applies there, so it’s not safe to travel there.

Many disillusioned US citizens are also relocating to Europe.

Isolationism is a long standing feature of US culture, but it has never before been perceived to be so hostile to the rest of the world (except Russia?)

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Zilan Qian's avatar

Reminds me about Qian Xuesen, the caltech prof who got PR in US but was detained during korea war because the govt thought he was a spy. Guess where he went after China stepped in and managed to lift his detention; and guess who established China’s ballistic missile program...

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Pxx's avatar
5dEdited

Contrarian take - the same researchers could do more good by improving their home countries, than going to work enriching some US corporate employer. One of the few net positives to come out of Trump admin, perhaps.

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Sam Hai's avatar

Personally I love the contradictory tactics the admin is using. I'll take my knowledge where it's more welcome

- a former illegal with many paid off speeding and parking tickets

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Landru's avatar

Working in science I see this happening in real time. When a Post Doc. asks, my wife is worried with the lab asking our children to carry their documents with them. A Post Doc. returning from vac. at home in Mexico was asked to prove her work status. She handed them her badge, contract, copy of her diploma in Physics as well as her passport and visa. The prison guard asked her to prove she still had the job in returning. Yes, that all happened in less than a week. We are doomed.

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Landru's avatar

BTW, prison guard was sarcasm for those that questioned. Boarder guard,

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Monkey Brains's avatar

If immigrant students and workers are so important to success why isn't China importing millions? 🤔

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Jordan Schneider's avatar

they try...

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RedAnt's avatar

Would love to hear from someone who has experience of working with, or within, one of these so-called “elite” Chinese universities. I have long been under the impression that, just like in the supposedly “innovative” private tech sector, the entire system is geared toward short-term application and monetizationbif research, which is what gets cadres promoted, and that in the past the most successful have been those involved in joint projects with Western universities. So it matters much less how much “talent” you have to work with, and much more how you allow that talent to grow and perform. Would appreciate having this appallingly simplistic-sounding stereotype corrected by someone with the requisite rep.

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