24 



Oceanography 1951 



Oceanography is the integrated extension 

 of many fields of science beyond the beach 

 hne and therefore it does not fit into the 

 usual university department. One university 

 may have a notable professor of marine 

 biology, another a man interested in the 

 chemistry or geology of the sea; thus Har- 

 vard, Yale, Columbia, Washington, and 

 several others have professorships in one 

 or another of the oceanographic sciences, 

 or professors whose field of research is 

 properly classed as oceanography. The 

 existing opportunities for research and in- 

 struction should not be underestimated, 

 since they have provided the training for 

 our present leaders in oceanography. How- 

 ever, they do not cover the subject as a 

 whole in a systematic way. Only one uni- 

 versity off^ers a well-established and inte- 

 grated course of study leading to advanced 

 degrees in oceanography. This is the Uni- 

 versity of California, through its Depart- 

 ment of Oceanography at the Scripps Insti- 

 tution. In 1940-1941 this department had 

 seven regularly enrolled graduate students, 

 in 1948-49 it had fifty. It has thus become 

 the principal agency for training oceanog- 

 raphers in this country. Within the last 

 few years the University of Miami has es- 

 tablished a Department of Marine Sciences 

 with courses leading to a master's degree. 

 More recently Texas Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College has announced the for- 

 mation of a Department of Oceanography 

 with a program of instruction. Such a de- 

 velopment is also contemplated at the 

 University of Washington where up to 

 the present training in the Oceanographic 

 Laboratories has been recognized by de- 

 grees granted in one or another of the de- 

 partments devoted to a basic science. 



It still remains a question, however, 

 whether the greatest strides in oceanogra- 

 phy will be made by men trained by special- 

 ized courses in oceanography or by those 

 recruited from other disciplines who elect 

 some aspect of oceanography as their 

 special field of study. Frequently meteor- 

 ologists, physicists, and others have found 

 that the oceans provide a good medium for 



solving a particular problem. Subsequently, 

 they may become interested in other in- 

 vestigations and remain in the field. They 

 bring with them new methods and new 

 ideas adapted for work at sea. Men with 

 originality will always infuse new concepts 

 and thus advance oceanography. Such 

 men should be encouraged by providing 

 them with every facility to work at sea from 

 the oceanographic institutions in addition 

 to any formal education in other subjects 

 elsewhere. 



Oceanography can now claim as much 

 cultural value in education as astronomy 

 or geology. Recent appointments of 

 oceanographers, as at Brown and Cornell, 

 give evidence that this opportunity is 

 being recognized. An elective undergradu- 

 ate course in oceanography might well be 

 established on a larger number of cam- 

 puses, or courses in the basic sciences 

 might be expanded to give students an 

 opportunity to learn as much about the 

 physics, geology, and biology of the oceans 

 as they do about the land. The interre- 

 lated sciences of the sea form an ideal 

 framework for demonstrating the unity in 

 methods and the diversity in content which 

 characterize modern science. 



The solution to the problem of educat- 

 ing oceanographers which is developing 

 and should be encouraged is less provin- 

 cial than the usual academic pattern of 

 graduate study. Although few tmiver- 

 sities can afford a faculty in oceanography 

 or operate a research vessel, the combined 

 resources of the oceanographic laboratories 

 and the universities can provide such train- 

 ing and experience. Thus a few selected 

 students should be given an opportunity 

 to find their training where best they 

 may beyond the limits of a single campus. 

 The cordial relations which exist beiween 

 the several institutions now concerned and 

 the varied cooperative arrangements in 

 effect give evidence that this is a practical 

 solution. 



In short, the requirements for providing 

 an adequate supply of research workers 

 in oceanography are these: 



1. The presentation of oceanography as 



