Education
Technical education facing troubled decade Recent report on science and engineering education in U.S. keys on shortage of teachers, particularly in engineering, caused by insufficient salaries There have been rumblings from the academic community for a while now that worsening faculty shortages are threatening a deterioration in science and engineering education. Propelled by reports and studies now finding their way into print, that concern is now bursting into wider public consciousness. Currently bringing it into focus is a government report, "Science and Engineering Education for the 1980's and Beyond" (C&EN, Oct. 27, page 6), commissioned by the White House and prepared by Shirley M. Hufstedler, Secretary of Education, and Donald N. Langenberg, acting director of the National Science Foundation, based on staff analysis by the Department of Education and NSF. Faculty shortages and related issues are only one aspect of the entire range of science and engineering education covered by the report. But it is an area of particular concern to chemical professionals. The report addresses two issues— the quantitative and qualitative adequacy of professional scientists and engineers at all levels now and through 1990; and the capacity of the education system to provide adequate science and technological education for all Americans. It is the product of information garnered from a wide range of government, scientific, engineering, and educational organizations, as well as papers commissioned by the National Research Council from individual specialists. The product of these deliberations is a picture of professional scientific and engineering education facing a number of current and emerging problems and of a trend in general education leading toward "virtual scientific and technological illiteracy." Among the report's main findings on professional issues:
• There are current shortages of trained computer professionals and most types of engineers at all degree levels. The current supply of scientists is adequate to satisfy existing demand, except in a few subfields of physical and biological science—solid state physics, plasma physics, optics, polymer chemistry, analytical chemistry, and toxicology. • Projections indicate that in 1990, the aggregate number of new science graduates at all degree levels should exceed the number able to find jobs in the broad fields in which they are trained. Except for a few subfields, the numbers of new engineering baccalaureates should, by 1990, be adequate to satisfy projected demand, although the adequacy of Ph.D. engineers in 1990 is expected to be problematic. • There is an immediate problem of a shortage of high-quality faculty to teach engineering, which has resulted from rapidly increasing undergraduate enrollments, decreasing Ph.D. output, a widening gap between academic and nonacademic salaries, and the obsolescence of facilities and technical resources needed for research. The findings are underscored by several other recent reports raising the alarm for engineering education. One of these, submitted to the Carter Administration by the American Association of Engineering Societies (C&EN, Nov. 3, page 7) doesn't mince words: Engineering education in the U.S. is in crisis. It is starting to suffer a decline in quality. That report, coauthored by the American Society of Engineering Education, points to the shortage of engineering teachers as the largest factor in the decline in quality. About 2000 of the 25,000 engineering teaching jobs in the U.S., it says, remain empty. The causes, according to all of the reports, are several. One is low salaries, aggravated by shortages of engineers in industry, which is paying more to get good people. Typical teacher salaries, says AAES, can be as little as two thirds of the salaries of engineers in industry. Adding to the faculty shortage is the declining percentage of students going on to earn M.S. or Ph.D. de-
grees, again often owing to the high salaries available from industry for B.S. graduates. From 1970 to 1980, AAES points out, the number of masters and professional degrees awarded grew about 11%, from 15,548 to 17,243. The number of doctorates awarded declined about 24%, from 3640 to 2751. By comparison, undergraduate enrollments increased about 47%, from 231,730 to 340,488. The shortage of advanced engineering degree candidates is further aggravated by the high percentage of foreign students in the programs. AAES says that more than 35% of doctoral engineering degrees granted in 1980 and almost 26% of the masters degrees granted went to non-U.S. citizens. These people can't be counted on as a resource of the U.S., AAES says, because, by law, they must return home after completing their studies.
Supply should exceed demand for most scientists, engineers in 1990 Baccalaureates Doctorates and Masters
Field
Physical sciences Atmospheric Chemical Geological Physics and astronomy
Adequate Balance Adequate Adequate Adequate
Engineering Aeronautical
Adequate Uncertain* Balanceshortage13 Adequate Adequate Adequate Shortage Adequate Adequate Adequate Balance Adequate
Chemical Civil Electrical Industrial Mechanical Metallurgical Mining Petroleum Other
Adequate
Mathematical sciences Adequate Adequate Mathematicians Shortage Statisticians
Adequate
Computer professions
Shortage
Shortage
a Possible shortages in some fields b Shortage under expanded defense spending only Sources: Bureau of labor Statistics. National Center for Education Statistics. National Science Foundation
Nov. 10, 1980 C&EN
37
Phosphine Chemicals
The Key to Maximum Metal Recovery In mining operations, in pollution and waste control systems and in industrial processing. Organo-phosphines, like TOPO, give practical metal recovery levels above 95% in solvent extraction systems. Recovery levels as high as 100% have been achieved in laboratory installations. In addition to their profitable application in mining, organo-phosphines can be used to efficiently remove metal pollutants from effluent streams. In a great number of these anti-pollution applications, the recovered metals could return a high value.
Organo-phosphines can also be profitably employed to increase the level of metal recovery in a wide variety of manufacturing and industrial in-plant processing operations. As the world leader in the development and manufacture of organo-phosphines, we have a storehouse of information to help you improve the profitability of your metal recovery program. So call or write today and let us work along with you on your project.
Contact Dr. David Burley, American Cyanamid Company, Phosphine Chemicals, Wayne, New Jersey 07470, (201) 831-4020.
