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National Resources Planning Board 



facture of ceramics and of glass, soaps, fats and oils, 

 and perhaps even in that of paint and varnish, although 

 the introduction of synthetic resins and newer pig- 

 naents has recently stimulated great interest in new 

 technology in this field. None of the last-named in- 

 dustries accounted for more than 1 percent of the 1920- 

 29 graduates according to the American Institute of 

 Chemical Engineers' study. By the same token, how- 

 ever, it is in these industries that most remains to be 

 done and wherein there are the most attractive oppor- 

 timities for capitalizing on scientific research and 

 chemical-engineering development. 



Adequate statistics are lacking for the total number 

 of chemical engineers engaged in research and in de- 

 velopment work. The survey made by Professor 

 White for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 

 in 1931 would seem to mdicate that for the men re- 

 ceiving bachelor's degrees in the classes of 1920-29 



approximately 25 percent were engaged in research 

 and semiplant development. An even larger proportion 

 of those with graduate training arc so employed. 



Dr. Harry A. Curtis, has estimated that fuUy 30 

 percent of all chemical-engineering graduates go into 

 seniiworks development of one kind or another.* 



In the study made by George Perazich for the na- 

 tional research pioject of tlie Work Projects Ad- 

 ministration " it was shown that of approximately 

 20,000 research employees, 5,635, or 28.5 percent, were 

 chemists and 4,594, or 23.2 percent, were engineers. 

 Applying these percentages to all industries, Perazich 

 estimated that the total number of engineoi-s might be 

 10,000, but no attempt was made to classify them as 

 chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineers. 



• Curtis, H. A. Discussion of Pierce, David E. The half-way house. American 

 Institute of Chemical Engineers, Transactions, 19, 100-11 (1933). 



' Perazich, George. Growth of research in the United States, 1920-38. Philadel- 

 phia, Pa., Work Projects Administration, national research project, 1940, p. 321. 



Figure 91. — Pilot Plant for Study of Soybean Oil Extraction, Ford Motor Company, Saline, Michigan 



