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The Welcome Mat This guest editorial is by Ronald Breslow\ a professor ofchemistry at Columbia University, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, and aformer president of ACS.
T
HE U.S. HAS LONG GREETED FOREIGN
students and postdocs with open arms. In chemistry they contribute gready to academic research and to the education of American students, both in the research lab and as teaching assistants in chemistry courses. The U.S. is very attractive to such students. In a recent visit to China, I talked with chemistry graduate students about their plans. Essentially all of them told me, "Of course, first I want to become a postdoc in the U.S." The best Chinese undergraduates also very often head to the U.S. for their graduate work in chemistry. They do not displace American students; we no longer produce enough in our discipline. After they finish their education and training here, many foreign students and postdocs return to their own countries, carrying with them a lifelong enthusiasm for the U.S. My own research group alumni, for instance, are now in leading positions in Japan, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Greece, Australia, Korea, and India. Some of these foreign students and postdocs stay in the U.S. to work after their education is completed. Again, they do not displace American chemists —we just don't produce enough to meet the need. For example, in most pharmaceutical companies I have visited, as many as 50% of the medicinal chemists were originally foreign students or postdocs here. Now they are U.S. citizens, contributing to the U.S.'s technological strength while also being part of the wonderful mix of people that is a unique defining characteristic of this nation. The Japanese government, recognizing how much foreign students and postdocs contribute to U.S. economic and scientific strength, has now instituted a program to emulate our success in attracting them. In the wake of the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there are understandably new concerns and efforts to ensure that student visas are not used by those interested in committing acts of terrorism. Thus, the federal government is instituting programs to screen and track poten-
tial students in order that visas not be issued to terrorists. The details of these programs are still being formulated (see C&EN, May 27, page 42). But whatever programs emerge to give us the protection we need, it is very important that they not cut off the flow of legitimate students and postdocs into the U.S. In particular, it is important that the screening be efficient and timely, so that long delays do not block those students and postdocs who contribute so much to our country We must not be terrorized into destroying a valuable source of scientific and economic strength. The current plan is to perform a special review of 1,000 to 2,000 visa applications—from among the 500,000 visa applications by foreign students and scholars each year— by an Interagency Panel on Advanced Science & Security (IPASS). James Griffin, a White House spokesman, says the goal of the special review is to ensure that international scholars do not acquire uniquely available technical and scientific knowledge at U.S. institutions that maybe used in a terrorist attack. Students from areas that sponsor terrorism would be looked at more carefully if other factors also caused concern. The news that stricter new procedures for granting student visas have been put in place, but with the details still not known, may worry prospective foreign students and postdocs. They are likely to be confused about the situation, given that American scientists and educators are still not certain exactly how it will work out. Even so, I urge foreign students who are planning to continue their education in the US. to press on with their plans. President George W Bush has said, "The United States benefits greatly from international students who study in our country" This is certainly true. I think international students and postdocs will find that we still have a mat at the door of the U.S. that reads, "Welcome to America." Ronald Breslow Columbia University
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. HTTP://PUBS.ACS.ORG/CEN
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