■Can the projections be realized? Although the intellectual capacity needed for achieving doctoral degrees is well above the population average, science and engineering doctorates tap only a small part of the nation's top talent. For example, of all "doctoral age" young people who score in the top 1 percent on intelligence tests, fewer than one in twenty now get doctorates in science and engineering. Thus the intellectual requirement can be met. High intelligence alone does not ensure superior quality in scientific work. Success further requires: creativity in conceiving new ideas ingenuity in devising new techniques and experiments vigor in pursuing new ideas and experiments to the very end These abilities, also, are possessed by enough young people to maintain the trend for at least ten years. Several states have demonstrated this fact. Of all students who graduate from high school in these states, the proportion who go on to obtain doctorates in science and engineering has already exceeded the proportion needed to reach the 1970 projection for the United States. The projected doubling of science and engineering doctorates by 1970 would still leave a wide margin of capacity available for the nation's many other needs-for intellectual leadership in all professions. Some things that are necessary PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING of science adds to the breadth and quality of the nation's scientific endeavor. In our democracy, progress stems from actions of individuals. Only when the individual citizens understand what science means to them will they see to it that the nation develops its scientific potential to the full. SUPERIOR TEACHING is essential for superior science. At all levels of education teachers should be well grounded in their subject matter and should know it up to the minute. Such knowledge stimulates and maintains a high level of interest in the student and provides further incentive for both teaching and learning. The expanded interest in science as an integral part of all education and the explosive growth of scientific information to be taught put overwhelming demands on the already too few science teachers. The premium thus placed on the time of science teachers and science students compels them to make full and effective use of all the hours they have. INCREASED INVESTMENT is needed just to keep step with the expanding scientific activity. This is where we start During 1961 our colleges and universities are awarding about 150,000 degrees in science and engineering, of which about 6,900 are doctorates (Ph.D., Sc.D.). Most of these graduates become professional scientists and engineers of whom there are now about 1.4 million. They do many kinds of work, including teaching, research, and development. Many of them divide their time. In universities for example, many professors spend part time teaching and part time doing research. Therefore, the relative amounts of effort in these activities cannot be shown simply by giving the total number of people in each. Instead, these relative efforts are expressed in terms of full-time equivalent manpower. In these terms, the 47,000 doctoral scientists and engineers in the colleges and universities are equivalent to 12,600 in basic research, 27,400 in teaching, and 7,000 in applied research, development, and other activities. The nation's total expenditure in 1961 for science and engineering education and for basic and applied research is about $10 billion. This is approximately 2 percent of the $505 billion gross national product. These numbers of people and these amounts spent are shown graphically on following pages. |