NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the workshop organizing committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-9630106, the National Institutes of Health under Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139, and the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02-95ER14556. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Energy.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
CHEMICAL SCIENCES ROUNDTABLE
RICHARD C. ALKIRE,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Chair
MARION C. THURNAUER,
Argonne National Laboratory,
Vice Chair
ALEXIS T. BELL,
University of California, Berkeley
DARYLE H. BUSCH,
University of Kansas
MARCETTA Y. DARENSBOURG,
Texas A&M University
MICHAEL P. DOYLE,
Research Corporation
BRUCE A. FINLAYSON,
University of Washington
RICHARD M. GROSS,
The Dow Chemical Company
ESIN GULARI,
Wayne State University
L. LOUIS HEGEDUS,
Elf Atochem North America, Inc.
ANDREW KALDOR,
Exxon Mobil Corporation
FLINT LEWIS,
American Chemical Society
ROBERT L. LICHTER,
The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.
MARY L. MANDICH,
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
ROBERT S. MARIANELLI,
Office of Science and Technology Policy
TOBIN J. MARKS,
Northwestern University
JOE J. MAYHEW,
Chemical Manufacturers Association
WILLIAM S. MILLMAN,
U.S. Department of Energy
KAREN W. MORSE,
Western Washington University
NORINE E. NOONAN,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
JANET G. OSTERYOUNG,
National Science Foundation
NANCY PARENTEAU,
Organogenesis, Inc.
GARY W. POEHLEIN,
National Science Foundation
MICHAEL E. ROGERS,
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
HRATCH G. SEMERJIAN,
National Institute of Standards and Technology
PETER J. STANG,
University of Utah
D. AMY TRAINOR,
Zeneca Pharmaceuticals
JEANETTE M. VAN EMON,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Exposure Research Laboratory
ISIAH M. WARNER,
Louisiana State University
Staff
DOUGLAS J. RABER, Director,
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate
RUTH MCDIARMID, Senior Program Officer
SUSAN R. MORRISSEY, National Research Council Intern
BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
LARRY E. OVERMAN,
University of California, Irvine,
Co-chair
JOHN L. ANDERSON,
Carnegie Mellon University,
Co-chair
BARBARA J. GARRISON,
Pennsylvania State University
ALICE P. GAST,
Stanford University
LOUIS C. GLASGOW,
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
KEITH E. GUBBINS,
North Carolina State University
NANCY B. JACKSON,
Sandia National Laboratories
JIRI JONAS,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
GEORGE E. KELLER,
Union Carbide Corporation (retired)
RICHARD A. LERNER,
Scripps Research Institute
GREGORY A. PETSKO,
Brandeis University
WAYNE H. PITCHER, JR.,
Genencor Corporation
KENNETH N. RAYMOND,
University of California, Berkeley
PAUL J. REIDER,
Merck Research Laboratories
LYNN F. SCHNEEMEYER,
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
MARTIN B. SHERWIN,
ChemVen Group, Inc.
JEFFREY J. SIIROLA,
Eastman Chemical Company
CHRISTINE S. SLOANE,
General Motors Research Laboratories
PETER J. STANG,
University of Utah
JOHN T. YATES, JR.,
University of Pittsburgh
STEVEN W. YATES,
University of Kentucky
Staff
DOUGLAS J. RABER, Director
MARIA P. JONES, Senior Project Assistant
RUTH MCDIARMID, Senior Staff Officer
SUSAN R. MORRISSEY, National Research Council Intern
CHRISTOPHER K. MURPHY, Program Officer
SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate
COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS, AND APPLICATIONS
PETER M. BANKS,
Veridian ERIM International, Inc.,
Co-chair
W. CARL LINEBERGER,
University of Colorado,
Co-chair
WILLIAM BALLHAUS, JR.,
Lockheed Martin Corporation
SHIRLEY CHIANG,
University of California, Davis
MARSHALL H. COHEN,
California Institute of Technology
RONALD G. DOUGLAS,
Texas A&M University
SAMUEL H. FULLER,
Analog Devices, Inc.
JERRY P. GOLLUB,
Haverford College
MICHAEL F. GOODCHILD,
University of California, Santa Barbara
MARTHA P. HAYNES,
Cornell University
WESLEY T. HUNTRESS,
Carnegie Institution
CAROL M. JANTZEN,
Westinghouse Savannah River Company
PAUL G. KAMINSKI,
Technovation, Inc.
KENNETH H. KELLER,
University of Minnesota
JOHN R. KREICK,
Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company (retired)
MARSHA I. LESTER,
University of Pennsylvania
DUSA M. MCDUFF,
State University of New York, Stony Brook
JANET L. NORWOOD, Former Commissioner,
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
M. ELISABETH PATÉ-CORNELL,
Stanford University
NICHOLAS P. SAMIOS,
Brookhaven National Laboratory
ROBERT J. SPINRAD,
Xerox PARC (retired)
MYRON F. UMAN, Acting Executive Director
Preface
The Chemical Sciences Roundtable (CSR) was established in 1997 by the National Research Council (NRC). It provides a science-oriented, apolitical forum for leaders in the chemical sciences to discuss chemically related issues affecting government, industry, and universities. Organized by the NRC’s Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, the CSR aims to strengthen the chemical sciences by fostering communication among the people and organizations—spanning industry, government, universities, and professional associations—involved with the chemical enterprise. The CSR does this primarily by organizing workshops that address issues in chemical science and technology that require national attention.
Graduate education in the chemical sciences was identified by the CSR as an area of broad interest to the chemical sciences community, which has expressed concern about how it should respond to evolving expectations for universities, both in education and research, and to changing patterns in professional employment of advanced degree holders—both in the short and long term. To provide a forum for exploring these concerns, an organizing committee was formed and a workshop was planned for December 1999.
The workshop, “Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences: Issues for the 21st Century,” brought together scientific leaders in government, industry, and academia to explore and discuss the various features of graduate education in chemical science and technology. Using case histories and their individual experiences, speakers examined the current status of graduate education in the chemical sciences, identified problems and opportunities, and discussed possible strategies for improving the system. The discussion was oriented toward the goal of generating graduates who are well prepared to advance the chemical sciences in academia, government, and industry in the next 5 to 10 years.
The papers in this volume are the authors’ own versions of their presentations, and the discussion comments were taken from a transcript of the workshop. The workshop did not attempt to establish any conclusions or recommendations about needs and future directions, focusing instead on problems and challenges identified by the speakers. By providing an opportunity for leaders in each of the areas to share their experience and vision, the organizing committee intended that the other workshop partici-
pants—as well as readers of this proceedings volume—would be able to identify new and useful ways of improving graduate education and better preparing students for the workforce. We believe that the workshop was successful in meeting this goal.
Workshop Organizing Committee
Rober L. Lichter, Chair
Richard C. Alkire
Daryle H. Busch
Thomas F. Edgar
Andrew Kaldor
Janet G. Osteryoung
Michael E. Rogers
Matthew V. Tirrell III
D. Amy Trainor
Francis A. Via
Isiah M. Warner
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The contents of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago,
William A. Lester, Jr., University of California, Berkeley,
Lynn F. Schneemeyer, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and
John T. Yates, Jr., University of Pittsburgh.
Although the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring group and the NRC.
Contents
The Challenges to American Graduate Education |
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Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences |
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Graduate Education in Chemistry: A Personal Perspective on Where It Has Been and Where It Might Go |
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External Research Collaborations Enrich Graduate Education |
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Portals to Knowledge: Information Technology, Research, and Training |
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The Graduate Student in the Dual Role of Student and Teacher |
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Keeping an Eye to the Future in Designing Graduate Programs |
The Graduate Student Perspective |
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The Making of a Chemist: My Adventures in Graduate School |
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A Perspective from a Former Graduate Student |
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New Students, New Faculty, and New Opportunities: Preparing Future Faculty |
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Broadening the Scientific Ph.D.: The Princeton Experience |
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Across the Disciplines: Center-based Graduate Education and Research |
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Training Grants in the Chemical and Biological Sciences |
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Origin of and Information on the Chemical Sciences Roundtable |