analytical chemistry March 1973,'Vol. 45, NO.3 Editor: HERBERT A. LAITINEN
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Motivation into Analytical Chemistry AMOXGTHE TOPICS of discuwion during a ieries of informal interview with first- and second-year analytical graudate students at the University of Illinois n a s the question of what had motivated each student to choose analytical chemistry a. hi. area of graduate Study. Some of the responses n ill be of general interest to our readers. The most frequent source of motivation came from undergraduate analytical courses, and often the influence of specific instructors mas dominant. Elementary quantitative courses n-ere occasionally strongly positive, occasionally mixed, and never totally negative as motivating factors. A common thread running through all the commentc about elementary laboratory experience n as the fatisfaction derived from quantitative TI ork in comparison with preparative or qualitative experience. Presumably those rcacting negatively to the discipline of quantitative work n ere screened out at thiq stage. Advanced undergraduate courses, eqpecially those stressing instrumental analysis and instrumentation, m r e most often favorably cited. Senior reqearch was carric3d out only by a minority of the students, and even then it uwally n a s not the real motivating factor, because the motivation n as already prewnt when senior research was begun. Several of the students had been employed in industry during one or more summers, and they mentioned this experimce a' a strong motivating influence. One student had received an ACS -4nalytical Division Gndergraduate Award, which he regarded as strongly influrntial. Several had been undecided betn-cen analytical and another fic.ld of chemiqtry, or even physic., until qhortly before or after arrival on campus. Such qtudents found their early contacts nith staff and qtudents or their impressions of the graduate courws to bc decisive. A campus visitation before entry into graduate qtudy proved lesc important in deciding among fields of chemistry than in deciding among univerqitiei. Of the various Sources of motivation, the two most important turned out to be excellent instruction in advanced undergraduate analytical courses and outside summer work experience. Analytical chemiqts in industrial, governmental, and academic pocitionq can. therefore, all play an important role in influencing talented studenti ton ard carecrs in analytical chemistry.
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For submission o f manuscripts, see page 257 A ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 45, NO. 3, MARCH 1973
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