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Chemists React Slowly 0th chemistry a n d chemical engineering originally achieved a measure of social stature by being useful arts-creating products and services that improved the physical and esthetic surroundings of people. Since World War 11, however, both have been on the “high science” kick, taking their cues vaguely from the ancient Greek prejudice that the pursuit of truth is of intrinsically higher merit than the pursuit of utility. T h i s kick, although originally made possible by the prestige these professions had attained by being useful, has been sustained by the massive infusion of no-stringsattached Federal money. Pursuing truth has been ever more explicitly stated as the goal of science as World War I1 has receded into the past. T h e more its money was provided by governmental sponsors, the more boldly has the scientific community stated that its work, like virtue, was its own reward. I n the past five years, individual voices have been raised in objection to this trend. T h e shifting of academic chemical engineering research into bio-medicine, physics, a n d mathematics has led industry to object that it can use only so many experts in kidney function a n d nonlinear analysis and where are the guys we need to r u n our plants? T h e shifting of academic chemistry to mechanisms and exotic molecule manipulation has equally led industry to complain that new graduates didn’t and often couldn’t produce industrial chemical research of value. But in the past year, there has been a veritable cascade of voices raised in support of the idea that chemistry must always look toward utility as well as toward intrinsic elegance. T h e same is true of chemical engineering. Fortunately, the pleas are for balance between the pursuit of understanding and the application of what has been learned, with the goal of giving equal prestige to both aspects of the profession. Here are a couple of recent examples: “I simply cannot unders t a n d , . . those . . . people who give more credit for the discovery of another meson than for the design of a suspension bridge, and who cannot see that a zip fastener is a far more beautiful idea than a zeta function. But . , . a certain amount of fundamental research must be sponsored . . 0’ (J. M. Ziman, physicist, in Nature, Vol. 221, Feb 8, 1969, page 521.) And: “Chemical education is big business. . . . Money is spent on education in science to produce the skilled manpower required by a modern economy.” (Professor M. L. Burstall, Chemistry a n d I n dustry, Dec 21, 1968, page 1794.) It may be some time before most chemists and chemical engineers in academic life learn to agree with the balanced view of their profession these remarks (and those like the ones we cited last month) represent. T h e r e is n o doubt about the necessity that they do eventually, and the fact of Federal reluctance to continually increase research funding will force it upon them sooner or later. For our professions, this dawning recognition can only be beneficial. Let us hope that we as professionals don’t take 20 years to absorb i t .
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