Hein Brookhuis

@heinbrookhuis.bsky.social

History & Philosophy of Science | postdoc Maastricht University

it's a big project w/ lots of parts, so watch this space. but one piece of it will be primarily historical; I will be hiring a PhD next year to explore various aspects of knowledge security in the late Cold War, particularly in the Low Countries. specific topics open, so suggestions welcome 2/x

One persistent myth in Belgian nuclear circles is that the BR2 was some sort of 'gift' from the Americans (in return for Congolese uranium for the Manhattan Project). I have not seen any evidence for this, but did find evidence that suggests the opposite (from SCK CEN's Sci. Director in 1964):

Scientific Director of SCK CEN boosting in 1964 that the BR2-construction costs were fully covered by the Belgian budget
Hein Brookhuis@heinbrookhuis.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Happy to share my article on the Belgian Test Reactor (BR2): "Ailing reactors and their isotopes: radiopharmacy and nuclear research in Belgium (1990–2020)" - somewhat of a biography of the Belgian Test Reactor (BR2) www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Five workers installing the BR2-reactor vessel, characterized by its unique diabolo or 'hourglass' shape.

De technologie van ASML heeft inmiddels alle internationale kranten en journaals gehaald. Maar wat betekent de groei van het bedrijf voor de Nederlandse wetenschap? Het antwoord daarop is te vinden in dit boek. Vanaf nu te bestellen, begin september beschikbaar! www.walburgpers.nl/nl/book/9789...

ASML en de Nederlandse natuurkunde

ASML, marktleider in geavanceerde chipmachines, initieerde in 2014 samen met NWO, AMOLF, de Universiteit van Amsterdam en de Vrije Universiteit een nieuw onderzoeksinstituut: het Advanced Research Cen...

walburgpers.nl

D

I've written an op-ed on innovation and economic growth for Research Fortnight (open access) arguing we need radical innovation in innovation policy centred on evidence-based policy. Shouldn't need saying but ... www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

UKRI’s economic mission is built on a delusion - Research Professional News

If British innovation could drive British growth, it would have already happened, says David Edgerton

researchprofessionalnews.com

CfP: How Sciences End Oxford, 11-13 July 2025 Deadline: 31 January 2025 Submit 250-word abstracts to howsciencesend@gmail.com [I'm broadcasting this on behalf of Joe Martin, Michelle Aroney & Alex Aylward, none of whom AFAIK are on this site yet]

CALL FOR PAPERS: How Sciences End
Dates: 11–13 July 2025
Location: University of Oxford, UK
Submission deadline: 31 January 2025
Conference Theme and Goals
Historians have studied extensively how sciences begin—but how do they end? This is a crucial
question for understanding how the labour of knowledge-making evolves. Previous attention to the
founding, disciplining, and professionalisation of individual sciences has provided robust
frameworks for thinking through the birth and growth of knowledge-making communities. Far less
attention has been directed toward how those same communities decay, dissipate, or evolve beyond
the contemporary boundaries of science. This conference seeks to cultivate case studies of the ends
of sciences, and thereby to motivate a new approach to thinking about the developmental
trajectories of scientific disciplines, communities, institutions, and the ordering of expert
knowledge. A further aim is to strengthen the community of scholars with a shared interest in
studying the ends of sciences.
Submission Process
Submissions should be sent to howsciencesend@gmail.com. Please title the email “SciEnds Abstract
Submission” and include the following information in the body:
- Full name as you would like it to appear on the programme
- Email address
- Affiliation, or how you would like to be identified on the programme
- Presentation title
- An abstract of no more than 250 words describing your proposed talk and how it fits the
conference theme and goals.
- An indication of whether you would like to be considered for travel support. (Limited funds
are available to defray travel costs, with priority given to early career and insecurely employed
scholars.)
The submission deadline is 31 January 2025. We plan to circulate a draft program by the end of
February 2025.
Programme Committee
Michelle Aroney (Oxford), Alex Aylward (Oxford), Joseph D. Martin (Durham)

Research thrives on innovation and the diversity of ideas, yet our funding system often penalizes both. In our new study published in PNAS, we explore the hidden costs of competition in allocating scarce research funds. (1/10) www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

pnas.org

Namaakcongressen zijn de nieuwste manier waarop malafide bedrijven geld uit de zakken van (ook Nederlandse) wetenschappers willen kloppen. Ik bezocht er een in Boedapest en schreef een reportage voor verschillende universiteitsbladen. dub.uu.nl/nl/achtergro...

Malafide bedrijven willen met nepcongres geld uit zakken wetenschappers kloppen

Willekeurige onderwerpen, slechte presentaties – copycat-congressen zijn de nieuwste manier waarop malafide bedrijven geld uit de zakken van wetenschappers willen kloppen. We bezochten er een in Boeda...

dub.uu.nl