Layoffs At Cornell

I've mentioned of the effects of the disastrous Omnibus budget that was passed recently, and have highlighted how it has severely affected operations and staff at several US Nat'l Labs. But the casualty isn't just restricted to these places. Cornell University has had to lay off about 10% of its workforce at its Laboratory of Elementary-Particle Physics.

The 11 job cuts represent 10 percent of the lab's 110 employees. The laboratory, which studies the laws that govern atoms and molecules, has lost 30 percent of its funding in the last 2 1/2 years, said lab director Maury Tigner.

“The support of physical science throughout the United States has been falling victim to the latest congressional action in which the American competitiveness has not been supported,” he said.

So not only is there a real impact beyond just the high energy/nuclear physics programs, there are also impacts beyond just the Nat'l Labs. I wouldn't be surprised that there are more of these stories around in the months to come, because I don't see the president's FY09 budget proposal being passed, certainly not this year.

Zz.