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National Resources Planning Board 



are tlie models which all practical applications follow more or 

 less closely. There is also llic added reason that science is 

 advancing iiicomparal)ly more rapidly today than it was twenty 

 years ago and the youth who is not to be scientifically outmoded 

 in a decade must be prepared the better to follow the advances 

 of science per se. 



One of the commonest criticisms of graduate students 

 who apply for positions in industrial research is that 

 they are weak in their gi-asp of these fundamentals and 

 lack a working knowledge of them. A broad training 

 with particular emphasis on these classical fundamentals 

 is more desirable than a highly specialized training in 

 some one teclmiquc, the utility of which may be limited. 

 It is also of far more value for research work than a 

 training in the specific industrial apphcations of science. 



Related sciences: Scientific training for industrial 

 research must include education in sciences closely 

 related to the specialty chosen. AVliile the greatest 

 amount of emphasis should be placed on the particular 

 branch of science selected for specialization general 

 familiarity with related fields is often of considerable 

 value. For example, chemists, particularly the phys- 

 ical chemists, should have considerable familiarity with 

 physics, and physicists, with chemistry. While these 

 related sciences arc usually required, their usefulness 

 in later work particularly in borderline fields may not 

 always be recognized at the time the courses are taken. 

 On this point one research director remarks that a knowl- 

 edge of related sciences is particularly important for 

 a man who works in a comparatively small organiza- 

 tion which has a wide field of problems. 



Mathematics: A training for industrial research work 

 should give due attention to mathematics. An under- 

 standing of this subject is not only necessary for an 

 understanding of physical sciences, but in recent years 

 mathematics in the form of statistical analysis has been 

 applied to a considerable extent in the planning of 

 experiments, in the analysis of experimental data, and 

 in the control of production. On this point a prominent 

 professor of science says : 



The discipline of mathematics is much too long delayed in 

 public schools. In England and France a child is well grounded 

 in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry at the age of sixteen, 

 fully two years earlier than here. The subject is also one of the 

 best as a partial means of differentiating between levels of 

 students. 



Nonscientific training. — Science students tend to shun 

 courses intended to cidtivate facilitj' in the \vTittcn and 

 oral presentation of facts. This may be because they 

 are more interested in substance than in form. For 

 several reasons, it is particularly important for the sci- 

 entific man to be able to write and speak clearly and 

 effectively. Research work requires more WTiting than 

 other fields of industrial work. The subject matter of 

 the work is such that its clear presentation is frequently 

 a matter of some difficulty. Before the results of re- 



search work can be used, they must be understood and 

 appreciated by others. Therefore, instruction m oral 

 and written presentation should be regarded as a most 

 important part of training for research work. In addi- 

 tion, the habit of taking pains in WTiting and speaking 

 should be cultivated. "Easy writing makes hard read- 

 ing." Knowledge of cognate subjects is essential. 



Social contacts. — Extra curricula activities also have 

 their place in the training schedule. Social contacts, 

 for example, may serve a useful purpose. The time is 

 past, if indeed it ever existed, when there was any rea- 

 son for the scientist to look and act differently from his 

 fellow men. The prospective worker in industrial re- 

 searcli may proi)erly regard social contacts as part of 

 his training. These can do much to develop a satis- 

 factory personality and an understanding of human 

 nature, which are so important in cooperative work. 



Duration of training. — Opinions differ as to the proper 

 duration of training for a scientist who desires to enter 

 an industrial research laboratory. There are numerous 

 instances of men who have achieved great success in 

 industrial research with little or no graduate training. 

 In certain types of development work a bachelor's or 

 master's training is held by some to be sufficient or 

 even preferable. This is particularly true for those 

 men who desire to work in an industrial research lab- 

 oratory in preparation for a career in some other 

 activity. 



For a lifetime career in research, and particularly 

 for work in fundamental research, the training required 

 for a doctor's degree is believed desirable by most of 

 the research directors who discussed this section of the 

 report. In some cases, particularly for fundamental 

 research, post-doctorate training is desirable. 



Postgraduate work should give the student training 

 in research method, and should develop the research 

 attitude. One commentator remarks, "It is not so 

 nuich an opportunity to specialize in a chosen subject 

 as a chance to develop the technique and capacity for 

 specializing in any research problem which may later 

 be encountered." 



Postgraduate work permits a relatively informal asso- 

 ciation of the student with the research professor who 

 has demonstrated his research ability. It is through 

 this association that the student's faculties for attack- 

 ing research problems are developed. In fact, the belief 

 is widely iiclil that the most important training the 

 graduate student receives is obtained in this way. The 

 history of science from its earliest beginnings offers 

 many examples of brilliant teachers who have produced 

 brilliant students. One research director states: 



I agree that the great value of post-graduate training is in the 

 association with the progress of work and thought of aole leaders. 

 By Corollary, post-graduate work in a scliool which is simply 

 filling out the gaps in an already established programme where 



