EDITORIALLY S P E A K I N G
The New Era in Science:
Questions for Educators
The present generation of students of science will see some dramatic changes in the world we live in. Perhaps civilization will have been ravaged by an atomic war. If not, will the "population explosion" have degraded the quality of life for all? If we have achieved a reasonable control of world population, will we have solved the problems of contamination of our environment? Will there be adequate food supplies? Will we have made major breakthroughs in the "synthesis of life"? If so, what will be the social, political. and economic consequences? No one can longer doubt that science and technology will further dramatically change our way of life. Today we see clear evidence of the importance of science in public affairs in the 16 billion dollar federal budget for research and development. The explosion in scientific knowledge and the great impact of this knowledge on public affairs raises important questions about the education of scientists. How can we adequately integrate the mass of new knowledge into the science curriculum? Should we seriously reconsider some of the old dividing lines in science? Is it not likely that the fantastic progress in understanding the life processes in terms of chemistry and physics will require more adequate physical science for biologists and biological information for physical
scientists? Should this involve a common basic twoor three-year college program in "natural science" for all scientists, to make sure we can talk to each other? How far should we push to restructure chemistry by eliminating divisions now largely of historical significance? I n addition to these questions of science education, there are other important questions we must ask. How can we give all citizens an effective understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise which has become such a major power in modern life? It is equally pertinent to indicate that scientists themselves must accept a responsible role in guiding the use of science by and for society. To what degree should the educational process contribute to this goal? Obviously, I do not know the answers to these questions. It does seem clear, however, that they are important and timely questions. Science is a human endeavour; it should contribute to human welfare. Society has the right to demand that it do so; we have that responsibility. Science education must be the foundation. It has become one of our largest and most important enterprises. It is the major source of economic, military, and political power. Through education, we may hope to learn to use it wisely. CHARLES C. PRICE
CAARLES C. PRICE,1965 President of the American Chemical Society, has devoted his career to asking questions and pursuing answers with a vigor few men can attain. A Harvard PhD with L. F. Fieser and postdoctoral work with Roger A d a m were the foundation for an active research career in organic mechanisms which has brought him numerous awards, among them the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry. He spent a decade a t Illinois before moving to heed the department a t Notre Dame from 1946 to 1951 and from there to he chairman at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a chemist who does more than talk about the government: In addition to serving on a.great variety of scientific advisory committees, he was nominated for Congress, has been an officer of the United World Federalkts, and is a member of the U. S. National Commission far UNESCO. He is also an educator who takes action: He was organizer and is fimt chairman of the Advisory Council on College Chemistry, wss a member of the CHEMS Steering Committee, and has served as a Fulbright lecturer to Japanese universities. Volume 42, Number 12, December 7 965
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