C A R N E G 1 E I N S T 1 T U T 1 Q N Oiz \\ ASK I IMC TON Extending the Frontiem of Science Year Book 96/97 T HE PRESID f N T * S « f P O i T July ./, 1996 June30 y 1997 CARNEGIE IN S TITUTIO N OF WASHINGTOH \ . -TO ENCOURAGE, IN TOE BR.QAD|ST.AND;/'.;C APPLICATION ORKNOWLED IMPROVEMENT OF.MANKINP .. "<^ '" *' \-r * • - <. ";-, ormer rustees PRESIDENTS Walter S. Gifford, /93/-/966 Garrison Norton, 1960-/974 Carl J. Gilbert, 1962-1983 Paul F. Oreffice, 1988-1993 Daniel Coit Gilman, 1902-1904 Cass Gilbert, 1924-1934 William Church Osborn, 1927-1934 Robert S. Woodward, 1904-1920 Frederick H. Gillett, 1924-1935 Walter H. Page, 1971-1979 John C Merriam, / 92! -1938 Daniel C. Gilman, 1902-1908 James Parmelee, 1917-1931 Vannevar Bush, 1939-1955 HannaK Gray, 1974-1978 William Barclay Parsons. 1907-1932 Caryl P. Haskins, 1956-1971 Crawford H. Greenewalt, 1952-1984 Stewart Paton, 1916-1942 Philip H. Abelson, 1971-1978 William C Greenough, 1975-1989 Robert N. Pennoyer, / 968-1989 James D. Ebert, 1978-1987 Patrick E. Haggerty, 1974-1975 George W. Pepper, 1914-1919 Edward E. David, Jr. (Acting President, John Hay, 1902-1905 John J. Pershfng, / 930-1943 1987-1988) Barklie McKee Henry, 1949-1966 Henning W. Prentis, Jr., 1942-1959 Myron T. Herrick, 1915-1929 Henry S. Pritchett, / 906-1936 TRUSTEES Abram S. Hewitt, 1902-1903 Gordon S. Rentschler, 1946-1948 Henry L Higginson, / 902-1919 Sally K. Ride, 1989-1994 Alexander Aggasiz, / 904-1905 Ethan A. Hitchcock, 1902-1909 David Rockefeller, 1952-1956 Robert O. Anderson, 1976-1983 Henry Hitchcock 1902 Elihu Root, 1902-1937 Lord Ashby of Brandon, l967-i974 Herbert Hoover, 1920-1949 Elihu Root, Jr., 1937-1967 J. Paul Austin, 19764978 William Wirt Howe, 1903-1909 Julius Rosenwald, 1929-1931 George G. Baldwin, 1925-1927 Cbaries L Hutchinson, 1902-1904 William nRothU 968-1979 Thomas Barbour, 1934-1946 Walter A. Jessup, / 938-1944 William W. Rubey, 1962-1974 James F. Belli 935-/961 Frank B. Jewett, 1933-1949 Martin A. Ryerson, 1908-1928 John S. Billings, 1902-1913 George F. Jewett Jr., / 983-1987 Howard A. Schneiderman, / 988-1990 Robert Woods Bliss, 1936-1962 Antonia Axrson Johnson, / 980-1994 Henry R. Shepiey, 1937-1962 Amory H. Bradford W59-1972 Samuel P. Langley, 1904-1906 Theobald Smith, 1914-1934 Lindsay Bradfond, 19^0-1956 Kennetn G Langcne, 1993-! 994 John C Spccner, .-JJ-/-C'7 OmarN Bradley, 194S-1969 ErnestO Lawrence, 1944-1958 Vv'illiam Ber.son Storey, 1924-1939 Le.vis M. Branscomb, \973-9OQ Charles A. Lindbergh. 1934-} 939 Richard P. Strong, •?3^-,^S Robe'tS. Brcokings. i9tG-',92r William Lindsay, 1902-190? Charles P. Taft, i 93c-/^75 lames E. Burke, 19E9-S993 Henry Cabot Lodge, 19:4 1924 William H. Taft. i90c-:o,5 Vannevar Bjsh, ; 953- * 9 7 \ Alfred L Loomis, 1934 ,97j William S. Thayer, '929-/935 Johr. L Cadwalader, /P03-/<?.'« Robert A. Lovett, : <?4g. 197 / JuanT.Trippe. \94-\-i9S\ WiiKarr. W. Campbe:!. /*:•?•-r35 SeihLow. 1902-1916 James W. Wadswortn, ! 932-1952 John J. Carty, \9\6ii32 John D. Macomber, !9Si i*9G Charies D. V^alcott, 1902-I727 Wh-tefoord P. Cc:e. '925-V^ Wayne MacVeagh, '901- 907 Fredenc C WaScou, /93J-.'S-JS Johr. T Q3r.n0", 'y/f '98:- Keith S ficMugh. »=5C •*-•« Henr%' P. V/airott, ; 9 .• C- / 92-? Frederic A Deiano, -77-' -"' Andrew W. MoSIon, ,f«:-4 ;9J7 Lewis K Weed. 1935-; 952 Ocveand H. Dodge, • 9CJ .-:? |ohri C Mcnian^ .' 92' - • -^ b William H. We'ch, SCc ;-"J-? 1 Wii--i-7i E. Dodge. /?::-;•/: 3 Margare: Carnegie Kilier, / 955 rs7 Gunnar Wesimai, "J ^- / 967 Ge^.dKEcVrrjjr, ??f --" e'. M-"er, i^j: •"•':: Ar-dre-.v D. Wr,,:e. • ?:•:- 9:c ; : ? Chc*r"is P. f :-r.ner, ,.1 -f- - <?. ; . Mills, #: '--'. Edwa-d D. -Anite, ''':^- 9J. S V/arJ<tche:. V ••- ^ie-c- Fete? Robert S. vVooawArc, »5C5-' 924 i.-.-m N. frevv', nki.T; D. Murphy, ;9"f=f--y£5 Carre" D. Wnght. ••:2-.'9C= : r • -•„• •'. • >J '- - . " :"' ; >£••/• '- CARNEGIE INSTITUTION SCIENCE IS A WAY TO ^ACH HOW SOM^HING GETS TO BE KNOWN, WHAT IS NOT KNOWN, TO WHAT EXTENT THINGS ARE KNOWN (for nothing is known absolutely), HOW TO HANDLE 0O0BT ANI) IJNCERTAINTY, WHAT THE RULES OF EVIDENCE AREj HOW TO THINK ABOUT THINGS SO THAT: JUDGMENTS::CANBE MADE, HOW TO DISTINGUISH TRUTH FROM PlAUD, AND FROM SHOW. S3 he media devotes substantial attention to the should be so. University training, especially at the . state of education in the United States. Anguished doctoral level, has for many years been predicated reports are frequent. The occasional good news is on the intimate connection between research and featured only to allow reflection on the more gen- training. This has several very positive conse- erally sad state of affairs. Media interest is a sure quences. Among the most pertinent are the follow- sign that education is still seen as suffering disas- ing: 1) Advanced training is provided through a trous problems, as being in 'crisis' condition; if the one-to-one relationship between a senior scientist news was good, education might well disappear and student. 2) Students learn by thinking and from the headlines. President Clinton underscores doing, not by rote. 3) Adequate if not generous the troubling assessment through his emphasis funds are available for training because of the and attention. national interest in supporting research. The con- trast between the success of advanced scientific In truth, the state of education is complex, espe- training and the failure of science education in the cially in mathematics and science. It is different in K-12 schools reflects the absence of these same different U.S. states and communities, each of three advantages in the schools. which has its own local school governance, culture, and economic status. And it is different depending To a very significant extent, it was Vannevar Bush on whether it is the professional education of who established the groundwork for our country's mathematicians and scientists or the education of current status as the premier educator of profes- the general public that is the center of attention. sional scientists. His 1945 report, Science, the Endless Frontier, stressed the importance not just of Although generalizations are dangerous, there is scientific research but of scientific training to the one that seems reasonably well-founded. U.S. col- economic and strategic position of the U.S. world- leges, universities, and research institutions are very wide. He proposed that a single federal agency be successful at educating professional scientists. The responsible for both training and research; this accomplishments of U.S. scientists in fundamental agency came to be the National Science and applied work are evident all around us, and are Foundation (NSF). Later, as the National frequently displayed in the media and business Institutes of Health developed, it too embraced the press. Serious and talented students from all over research/training connection. As president of the the world come to this country for training, and Carnegie Institution, Bush adopted the same remain if they possibly cant recognizing that this is approach at the Carnegie departments. He initiat- the best place in the world for doing scientific ed a strong program of predoctoral and postdoctor- work. It is not difficult to understand why this al education, expecting that the research of the T^ lifeanjSam^ c^Ru^arJFn/nmav, fa« tones, G*?> K ParTtvcn Press., New York, p. 285, 1992 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION departments would gain in vigor from such a about 350 National Science Foundation Career program, and that the staff scientists, by exposing Awards, including the Presidential Early Career themselves constantly to the influence of young Awards for Scientists and Engineers, exists only minds, would be less isolated and more productive. for scientists associated with degree-granting In turn, young scientists would learn from working institutions. Carnegie scientists are thus ineligible. with leading investigators at a crucial period in On Allan Spradling's initiative, we sent a letter their intellectual development. Carnegie depart- to Neal Lane, director of the NSF, requesting ments embraced this philosophy. Today, predoc- reconsideration of the policy. Dr. Lane was atten- toral and postdoctoral training are, if anything, tive in his response. He even came downtown to more important to the Carnegie labs than they have lunch with Dr. Spradling (director of our were in Bush's day. Department of Embryology) and me. But the policy remains unchanged. The institution's academic catalog, published bien- nially, describes our fellowship programs. Funds for postdoctoral fellows come from our general endow- SCIENTISTS ment funds and special fellowship funds (e.g., the MMB THE SCHOOLS Wood Fellowship, the McClintock Fellowships, the Starr Fellowship), and from private foundations and federal grants. Providing for additional institutional In recent years, the educational concerns of scien- fellowship funds is always a central concern of the tists and scientific institutions have expanded president's fund-raising activities. beyond the training of new members of their pro- fession. Increasingly, the community has recog- nized that the dismal condition of K-12 science and mathematics education is, at least in part, the consequence of its own neglect and disinterest. What passes for science education in most of our schools does not reflect the nature of modern sci- ence in either its processes or its logic. Instead of an exciting experience that relates to the real world, school science is too often tied to books, strange new vocabulary, and memorization of poorly understood concepts. Any resemblance to Richard Feynman's vision of what science is all about is accidental. By one estimate, more new words are introduced in first-year high school biology than in first-year French.2 Both teachers and students are bored by the whole process.