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6
Organization' Education'
and Personnel
The report of the Panel on Organization, Education, and
Personnel (OEP) includes five sections. The first is a
summary of the recommendations. The second describes a
major recommendation directed toward the maintenance of
scientific talent. The third is a report, with recommen-
dations, on a variety of issues in the practice of astron-
omy. The fourth is a portrait of astronomy, and the
astronomers, during the 1970's: who are the astronomers
what have they been doing; and how have they been doing
it? The final section is an appendix giving details of
the data accumulated and interpretive notes intended to
justify statements and views expressed in the earlier
sections.
I. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations of the Panel on Organization, Educa-
tion, and Personnel are the following:
A. Maintenance of Scientific Talent
The anticipated sharp decline in the number of university
undergraduates in the 1980's, coupled with an unusually
small number of faculty retirements over the same period,
will cause a temporary but very serious reduction in the
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335
number of assistant professors of astronomy that can be
afforded by the universities. The fresh minds of young
researchers are crucial to healthy progress in astronomi-
cal research. The OEP Panel therefore recommends that
urgent steps be taken toward maintaining the flow of
excellent younger researchers into the university envi-
ronment during the critical decade ahead.
In particular, the Panel recommends that the Astronomy
Division of the National Science Foundation initiate a
program of "Astronomy Excellence Awards" to be awarded to
individuals on the basis of an open national competition.
Each award should be for one half of an assistant-
professor-level position and contingent on commitment of
matching funds in the form of one half of a full-time
employee (FTE), for the same period by a recognized
university. It is anticipated that status and qualifica-
tions will be similar to those of regular faculty members
at the host institutions and will include the improve-
ments described below. The anticipated cost of this
program, which we recommend as a new initiative, will be
$500,000 to $1 million per year. It would generate an
equal amount of matching funds from universities on a
short-term basis and also, the Panel believes, lead to
the establishment of new, long-term positions in
astronomy.
The Panel furthermore encourages universities to
respond to the anticipated interim problem of declining
enrollments and fewer retirements by implementing
mechanisms that encourage early retirement of faculty,
establishing "parallel track" positions of high prestige,
implementing "rolling tenure" where feasible, and
permitting non-tenure-track scientists with appropriate
qualifications to be Principal Investigators on contracts
and grants.
B. Other Issues in the Practice of Astronomy
1. Personnel
-
a. Minorities. The Panel endorses the recommenda-
tions made by the American Astronomical Society's Com-
mittee on Ethnic Minorities to encourage young members of
ethnic minorities to study astronomy. Past progress in
this area has been inadequate.
b. Women in Astronomy. The Panel endorses the report
of the Committee on the Status of Women, accepted by the
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336
American Astronomical Society in 1980. Women are still
far from achieving equal status in astronomy.
c. Dual-Career Couples. The Panel recommends appro-
priate modification of remaining nepotism rules, the
granting of permission to scientists employed part-time
to act as Principal Investigators on contracts and grants,
and the liberalization of institutional policies governing
shared jobs.
2. Education
d. Public Communication. The Panel recognizes the
need for astronomers to devote a suitable portion of their
time to the communication of astronomical results to the
general public, and encourages them to do so. Such
efforts need to be recognized and encouraged also by
department chairpersons and group leaders, funding
agencies, academic institutions, and professional
organizations as a necessary and beneficial scientific
service activity.
Training of Astronomers.
The Panel recommends
that the training of astronomers include the acquisition
of skills in such specialized areas as electronics, elec-
trooptical devices, mechanical systems, computer software,
and systems engineering; these skills not only are rele-
vant to the development of astronomical instrumentation
but also make astronomy graduates more attractive to
industry. There is a perception that astronomers who
develop advanced astronomical instrumentation are some-
times not adequately rewarded with respect to promotion
and tenure. The Panel recommends that astronomy depart-
ments take care to eliminate any such inequity.
f. The Astronomical Community. Teachers at 2- and
4-year colleges, many of whom are not full-time astrono-
mers, make a significant contribution to astronomy educa-
tion in the United States. Amateur astronomers also con-
tribute in substantial ways to the position astronomy
holds in the national esteem. The Panel recommends that
research astronomers make efforts to increase communica-
tion with these additional members of the astronomical
community, who contribute so much to the general health
of the field.
g. Small Telescopes. Small telescopes, many associ-
ated with university departments, are an important
resource for O.S. astronomy. Financial support for these
telescopes (and associated instrumentation) should be
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awarded on the basis of scientific merit. In awarding
funds, agencies should keep in mind the many diverse
needs served by these facilities.
3. Organization
h. Classified Data and Technology. The Panel
recommends that both the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the National Science Foundation
maintain a continuing awareness of the benefits that
would accrue to astronomy from the use of certain data
and technology that have been classified, inform the
proper government agencies of such benefits, and estab-
lish appropriate mechanisms by which the astronomical
community can participate in the procedures for identifi
-
cation and declassification of such data and technology.
i. Access to Foreign Space Missions on the Basis of
Merit. The Panel recommends that the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration work to promote competitive
access to foreign scientific satellite missions and
institute policies and budgetary mechanisms designed to
encourage the flight of U.S. experiments on foreign
satellites.
j. Peer Review. The Panel calls attention to the
Cole et al. (1977) study, which "yielded little evidence
in support of the main criticisms that have been made of
the peer-review system." The Panel supports any measures
that can be taken to streamline proposal procedures but
recognizes that increased accountability requirements are
beyond the direct control of the astronomical community
(e.g., Staats, 1979). The Panel also emphasizes the great
importance of supporting projects whose results may lie
far in the future and the particular need for dialogue
between the proposer and referees when instrumental
proposals are under review. Finally, the Panel notes the
importance of attracting outstanding scientists to work
within the federal funding agencies and of opportunities
for temporary agency service under the Intergovernmental
Personnel Act. The welfare of the entire astronomical
community depends critically on the wisdom and foresight
of scientific decisions made within federal agencies.
k. Advice to the National Aeronautics Space Admini-
stration and the National Science Foundation. The Panel
recommends that the agency that funds a scientific mission
should take particular care also to fund adequate analysis
of all the meaningful data that flow from that mission.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
panel endorses
