welfare the highest abiHty of the youth of the Nation without regard to 

 where it was born and raised and without regard to the size of the family 

 income. Much of our evidence and many of our conclusions on that evidence 

 are applicable to helds other than science and engineering; but our plans, 

 naturally, do not go bevond our mandate to make effective plans for the 

 discovery and dexelopment of scientific talent in American youth. 



The Necessary and Desirable Extent of the Proposed Plans 



Throughout our deliberations, we have had it in mind that, by scholar- 

 ships and fellowships and monetarv and other rewards in disproportionate 

 amounts, too large a percentage of the Nation's high ability might be drawn 

 into science with a result highly detrimental to the Nation and to science. 

 Plans for the discovery and development of scientific talent must be related 

 to the other needs of society for high abilitv. Since there never is enough 

 abilitv at high levels to satisfy all the needs of our complex civilization for 

 such ability, we would not seek to draw into science any more of it than 

 science's proportionate share. In that spirit of reasonableness our plans are: 



We recommend that each year 6,000 4-year scholarships be awarded to 

 enable youth of scientific promise to work for bachelor's degrees in scientific 

 and technological fields. We recommend further that 300 3-year fellowships 

 be awarded each year to enable the recipients to obtain advanced training 

 leading to doctoral degrees in science and technology. The maximum total 

 of Scholars, if and when the plan is in full operation, would be 24,000 and 

 the maximum total number of Fellows would be 900. Maximum annual costs 

 if the plan is to be realized fully may reach, after the fourth year of 

 operation, $29,000,000. 



Outline of the Plan and of the Means for Achieving It 



The Scholars should be chosen by State committees of selection and the 

 Fellows by a national committee of selection. The Scholars shall be eligible 

 for the fellowships but the fellowships shall also be open to other qualified 

 students. 



We recommend that, for the Scholars, the scale of support should be that 

 provided by the GI Bill of Rights for veterans, namely up to $500 annually 

 for tuition and other fees, plus $50 monthly for personal support if single, 

 and $75 monthlv if married. For the Fellows, there should be an allowance 

 up to $500 for tuition and other fees and up to $100 monthly for personal 

 support. 



The Scholars and Fellows should be chosen solely on the basis of merit, 

 without regard to sex, color, race, creed, or need. 



All those who receive benefits under this plan, both Scholars and Fellows, 

 should be enrolled in a National Science Reserve and be liable to call into 

 the service of the Federal Government, in connection with scientific or tech- 

 nical work in time of war or other national emergency declared by Congress 

 or proclaimed bv the President. Thus, in addition to the general benefits to 

 the Nation by reason of the addition to its trained ranks of such a corps of 

 scientific workers, there would be a definite benefit to the Nation in having 

 these scientific workers on call in national emergencies. Evidence presented 

 to the committee shows that, if such a science reserve had been in existence 



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