Phillips Petroleum, Β. F. Goodrich, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Monsan to, Dow Chemical, and Mobil. Their last stop is Chevron Chemi cal near San Francisco where they leave for home. The American Chemical Society cooperated with CSCPRC in setting up the itinera ry. At the various plants, the group will observe large-, medium-, and small-scale petrochemical works; production installations for sepa rating ethane, propane, and butane from natural gas and oil gas; and purification of natural gas. They also will study ethylene pipeline transportation and storage; produc tion of acetic acid, glycerine, rub ber, and resin; and scientific re search centers. The petrochemical delegation is the fourth Chinese delegation brought over by CSCPRC this year. The first three were here to study solid-state physics, molecular biolo gy, and communications tech niques. Three more delegations are expected this fall, including repre sentatives from the Chinese Scien tific & Technical Association, an industrial automation delegation, and an immunology delegation. In exchange, five U.S. delegations have made or will make trips to China this year to study schistoso miasis, paleoanthropology, rural small-scale industry, insect control, and solid-state physics. D
Construction firms still are doing well
Symington: fundamentally sound
Chemical makers are cutting back on their construction plans to help them through the recession, a move not likely to please construction en gineering companies. But a spot sur vey last week of many of these com panies showed them to be weather ing the cutbacks quite well. Al though several companies ac knowledge the stretching out and even the cancellation of some chem ical contracts, a number say that their own business has not been af fected at all by the announcements of chemical makers. And for some, especially those that are doing busi ness on a large scale with the oil exporting countries, chemical con struction contracts are at an alltime high. A C&EN compilation of construc tion backlogs for six major engi neering companies shows that they have doubled over the past year and
to critics' charges. They also hinge on the outcome of a host of studies now under way by NSF and others on peer review and the whole issue of how the government goes about managing the R&D it funds. For in stance, NSF and the National Sci ence Board (NSF's policy-setting advisory group) are developing a survey to sample the scientific com munity's reactions to opinions on peer review. Other areas of "general agree ment" were underscored by the House subcommittee chairman Construction backlogs have James W. Symington (D.-Mo.) on doubled since early 1974 the last day of the hearings. Among $ Billions other things, Symington noted that 201 the witnesses "overwhelmingly agree" that some form of peer re view should continue to be used to 15 assist in the allocation of funds for scientific research. He observes that nobody—including witnesses from 10 NSF—claimed that the peer review system and its decision-making ability are perfect. "Nevertheless, 1974 1975 it appears that, as a base to work Source: C&EN survey of Combustion Engineering, from, the peer review concept is Fluor, Arthur G. McKee & Co., Ralph M. Parsons Co., Pullman, and UOP seen as fundamentally sound," he says. Two weeks of hearings by the House In the more controversial areas, a half to nearly $19 billion at the Science, Research, & Technology there is obviously less agreement. end of the second quarter of this Subcommittee on the National Sci For instance, Symington notes that year. ence Foundation's use of peer re there are mixed views as to how Ralph M. Parsons Co., just finish view to evaluate research proposals open or how confidential NSF's ing the best first half in its history, hasn't resolved the controversy sur systems for making grant decisions hasn't suffered any ill effects from rounding peer review. But it has ought to be or on how peer reviewers the cutbacks in chemical construc aired fairly the views of critics and ought to be selected or in what tion. For sulfur and sulfuric acid proponents alike. And although modes they ought to work. plants, where it has a number of specific legislation to change the Finally, an increasingly adver contracts, Parsons has not seen any system isn't at all likely to be en sary relationship continued to pre contract cancellations or stretch acted readily by Congress, adminis vail on the last day of hearings be outs, a spokesman declares. trative changes instituted by NSF tween NSF director H. Guyford Fluor, too, has not seen any shut are a strong possibility. However, Stever and Rep. John B. Conlan down in construction projects under more subtle changes in the direc (R.-Ariz.), who is fast becoming way and has had a "tremendous in tion of opting to support "safer" chief Congressional critic of NSF. crease" in new contract awards. rather than higher-risk innovative Among other things, Conlan be Fluor's largest awards in recent proposals may well be a result of rated Stever for failing to provide months have come from the oil pro stinging criticism leveled at NSF re him with verbatim copies of peer re ducing countries of the Middle search program managers by some view of curriculum development East, shifting the company's bal Congressional critics. projects and reiterated his call ance of foreign and domestic busi The scope of the more substan for "total openness" of the peer ness from its 59% foreign level at the tive changes—specifically those re review system. Stever says, in es end of April to about 70% foreign sulting from legislation or adminis sence, that the system is open, is business currently. trative action by NSF—appears to becoming increasingly so, is open to "Business still looks real good to hinge in large measure on public change, and is being studied us," says a spokesman for M. W. D Kellogg Co., a Houston-based engiand scientific community response I thoroughly.
Hearings may trigger peer review changes
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August 11, 1975 C&EN
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