Basic Research 



m GOVERNMENT 



LABORATORIES 



ALLEN V. ASTIN 



National Bureau of Standards 



Introduction 





r OR MOST of my talk I shall use a special 

 definition of basic research. This definition differs somewhat 

 from the customary ones used in classifying research, but I 

 believe it has a special relevance to the requirements of govern- 

 ment laboratories. I plan also to use some statistical data relevant 

 to basic research in government laboratories, and these data 

 have been compiled according to the definitions established by 

 the National Science Foundation. I doubt, however, that the 

 points I hope to make would be altered significantly if I were 

 able to use statistical data based upon my definition. 



Research itself is of the nature of inquiry. Inquiry is, in 

 fact, the fundamental characteristic of the activity. We ask of 

 an event or phenomenon, its properties, its structure, its mean- 

 ing, and its causes. We inquire as to the relationships among 

 various events or phenomena. Sometimes we inquire of our 

 relation to the event or phenomena. We ask of ourselves: Do 

 we see it as it is? How do we err in our observation? Can we 



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