inadequate," the panel finds, and it is opposed to any "wide-scale implementation" of CAL right now. But the panel notes that CAL offers unexplored opportunities, particularly when the student interacts directly with a computer-controlled experiment. Thus the panel recommends that support be made available to develop hardware and software by those "individuals who have the interest and abilities to make imaginative and fruitful progress in research and development in CAL." A more optimistic view comes from Dr. Lykos—who admits he's never worked in this area. Intuition tells me, Dr. Lykos says, "that CAI is the greatest thing in education, in principle, since the introduction of the textbook. With CAI we can identify the best possible instructor, or collection of instructors, look at all the things that could be right, or wrong, or should be stressed in a subject area and create a programed course. Yet it can be made flexible enough to accommodate a whole range of students so that one ends up with an individualized approach to subject matter which currently is geared to the average student. One should not consider that CAI replaces the classroom teacher. CAI represents a dynamic textbook-problem set-examination complex to more effectively support the classroom teacher." The technology of CAI still requires development, he admits, and the supporting equipment is expensive. The subject matter that best lends itself to CAI is fairly limited in scope, complete and self-contained, inherently logical. As examples he cites the teaching of physical laws, balancing equations, and the qualitative analysis scheme. Commenting on the NAS committee's views on CAI, Dr. Perlis says that one group believes that it has "a limited set of values for college education, but there are some very promising avenues to be explored." One such avenue is the use of on-line computers to simulate experiments. And he notes that programing the computer for CAI can be difficult. More important, however, is the nature of education that can spin out of a computer, Dr. Perlis maintains. The spontaneity, discussion of error, and the spectrum of views a professor gives to a class are as important as the facts he divulges. If university students are to be trained to think, he says, then it's not at all clear that CAI can ever be fundamental. But it may achieve a "permanent auxiliary role" in teaching drills which are important in moving up the educational ladder, but which are by no means central to education. 42 C&EN NOV. 4, 1968
Indiana starts industrial professor program with Monsanto chemist's visit "Quite concerned" is how Dr. Harold H. Zeiss, president of Monsanto Research, S.A., Zurich, Switzerland, describes his reaction to the "artificial barrier" between chemistry departments and students, and the chemical industry. But now the former professor, who left Yale 13 years ago "to prove that solid basic research can be done in industry," is back on campus in a new role trying to do something to break down that barrier. Named as the first of five "industrial professors" at Indiana University (C&EN, Oct. 14, page 4 7 ) , Dr. Zeiss began a week-long visit to IU just two weeks ago. The organometallic chemist expects to make two more lecture and consulting trips to IU, each lasting a week to 10 days, in this first year of a five-year appointment. Besides Dr. Zeiss's appointment in organic chemistry—actually it also borders on inorganic chemistry—IU expects to name four more industrial professors. These would be in analytical, inorganic, physical, and biochemistry. Each professor would continue to hold, full-time, his industrial position and be paid by his company. But he would be expected to visit the Bloomington, Ind., campus at frequent intervals during a five-year appointment. There he would give lectures
to undergraduates, graduate students, and the faculty, talk to individuals from each of these groups, and participate in university activities. For Indiana, establishing a "twoway line of communication between chemistry students and faculty and industry" is the program's purpose, department chairman Riley Schaeffer tells C&EN. He hopes, however, that the program will serve as a model for other institutions and that general acceptance of such an approach will do much to develop better understanding. Questioned about Monsanto's response, Dr. Zeiss says that the company has been "enthusiastic and enlightened" in its approach to the program. The need to create such a program stems from what Dr. Schaeffer calls information gaps. These involve: • The many students who graduate with a baccalaureate or doctorate and have little or no understanding of the nature of the chemical industry. • The typical professor who has not been exposed to anything but the academic approach. • The many industrial chemists who lack a current appreciation of the problems faced by educational institutions. In many instances, Dr. Schaeffer
GAP. Indiana University's first industrial professor, Dr. Harold H. Zeiss (center) of Monsanto Research, S.A., Zurich, confers with department chairman Riley 0 . Schaeffer (right) and Dr. E. H. Cordes. lU's industrial professor program aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry
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claims, students are totally unaware of opportunities in industrial scientific careers. Much of the blame can be placed on the universities, he believes. Most fail to convince the student that good science can be carried out in an industrial environment and that prob lems in industry are at least as chal lenging as those the student observes in school. The department head cites as one challenge the economic con siderations involved in industrial re search. Another he mentions is the possibility that the academic chemist can always retreat from a difficult problem, perhaps returning to it when new tools or information are at hand, whereas his industrial counterpart must find a solution by applying ex isting information. It's not surprising, Dr. Schaeffer says, that universities fail to communi cate the challenge and excitement of industrial science when most profes sors directly enter the academic profes sion following graduation. Even when they are involved in consulting, only a few are engaged in significant consult ing activity, he says. And within industry there are "all too many" high and middle-manage ment men who were trained in the 1935-55 period, according to the IU chemistry department chairman. These men tend to view the edu cational process as it was when they were last exposed to it. They could benefit by a greater awareness of pres ent problems and approaches, in Dr. Schaeffer's estimation. Bridging such gaps, then, is IU's aim. And it's an undertaking for the universities, not industry, Dr. Schaef fer maintains. A balanced education and viewpoint are the prime respon sibility of educational institutions and an attempt to shift this responsibility to industry would "be as inappropriate as it would be unsound," the depart ment chairman stresses. However, industry can contribute toward better understanding by many means, he believes. For example, industry could increase the number of summer appointments for undergradu ates, graduate students, and faculty. It could increase the use of consultantships to specifically develop knowl edge and appreciation of problems, he says. The IU program's success, Dr. Schaeffer emphasizes, hinges upon the men selected and their commitment to the program. They must be well-es tablished scientists and fully accepted in the academic community. And they must be prepared to spend enough time on the IU campus to "become an accepted part of the scene." Explaining this point, Dr. Schaeffer says that the present system in which
industry willingly contributes speakers is profitable to the university, but by no means solves the problem. Such temporary visitors are guests who are entertained and listened to for an hour. "No real rapport is developed," he argues, "and their influence is corre spondingly small. "To have an impact on the educa tional process," Dr. Schaeffer says, "the visitor must have the respect of his campus colleagues. He must be willing to enter into the educational scene and to develop a sufficient continuity of experience on campus to appreciate its problems and help with their solution." The depth of interaction with the students and faculty depends, of course, upon the individual involved. But beyond lecturing and talking to students and faculty, Dr. Schaeffer sees no reason why the industrial pro fessors couldn't have their own grad uate students. Such participation would be simplest, he says, in research areas where IU is already well repre sented. The students or postdoctorals could cooperate with the present fac ulty and communicate by long dis tance means with the industrial pro fessor. Indeed, industrial professor Zeiss finds the possibility of directing gradu ate students encouraging. It's still too early, however, to think very seriously about this, he says. Right now he's concentrating on establishing rapport with his students. And he empha sizes that he's not trying to "sell" in dustry or to recruit for Monsanto. What he is stressing to graduate stu dents is his view that research free dom exists in industrial labs. "But in dustry won't hand you a research ti tle," Dr. Zeiss tells these students. "You have to be well prepared to earn that title."
RAPPORT. Industrial professor Zeiss explains a problem to freshmen chem istry students. Establishing rapport with them is his goal right now
