Scientist boycotts US event over travel ban

A SCIENTIST who helped to build the world’s first robotic telescope at the University of Bradford has boycotted an international conference in the United States in protest at President Donald Trump’s controversial ‘travel ban’.

Dr John Baruch said he had also abandoned plans to lead a trip to Nebraska for the solar eclipse next month as a demonstration of his belief that “science is universal”.

His boycott was prompted by President Trump’s attempts in January to close the borders to all refugees and stop citizens of six mainly Muslim countries – Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen – from entering the US.

The Supreme Court partially reinstated a revised ban on Monday, pending a full ruling in the autumn. Dr Baruch said: “My view is that science can only achieve when scientists from all over the world are able to work together. It’s so awful that the US is being like this when it has always welcomed people.”

Dr Baruch had been due to attend the Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education Conference in San Diego between June 18 and 22, but instead addressed delegates via video link.

“I explained to them why I wasn’t there,” he said. “It was a bit of a wrench but I just felt that we can’t have a world in which people are not allowed entry to the US because of their religion.

“If my boycott inspires people then that would be great.”

Having previously worked at the University of Bradford on groundbreaking robotics projects, Dr Baruch is now involved in the city’s Digital Health Enterprise Zone. It aims to develop innovations that help to prevent and manage long-term conditions.