200 SEA GRANT COLLEGES 



of oceanography — a floating school where the students and professors 

 and the working professional scientists and technical personnel might 

 work and learn at sea ? 



I must say it is a new concept to me and I hadn't thought of it until 

 I just read the question to you, sir. 



Dr. Spilhaus. It is not an entirely new concept. I think it is very 

 important that students should get their feet wet in the sea. I am not 

 sure that a floating platform is the best podium for professors or teach- 

 ers of technicians. I think we need both. I think we need shore facili- 

 ties where we can teach subjects and then sea facilities where we can 

 take the students for the experimental work, their laboratory work, if 

 you like. 



I think we need both. 



I don't think we should really think that we need to have all our sea 

 instruction done from floating structures on the sea, although such 

 structures will be needed for the laboratory work of the students. 



Senator Pell. If we did have such a school, do you have any idea 

 how much it would cost, such a school vessel ? 



Dr. Spilhaus. No, sir. I haven't given this much thought but I am 

 quite convinced it would cost a lot more to do the same job that you 

 could do on land, using ships for laboratory purposes. 



Senator Pell. I must say I would agree with you. It would be 

 perhaps a little like this Project Hope where the individual cost of the 

 treatment to the people abroad is far greater than if they had hospital 

 units under Medico. It is a little off the subject, but I think the expense 

 analogy is not particularly off the subject. 



Another question from the minority is to the following effect, that 

 provision is made in our bill for consultation with scientists and en- 

 gineers by the National Science Foundation in carrying out the provi- 

 sions of the bill, but no provision is made in the bill for a statutory 

 advisory group that would also report to the President and the Con- 

 gress, and as the reports would be in the public domain, do you think 

 such a provision would be advisable? I must add here I am com- 

 pletely openminded. 



Dr. Spilhaus. Senator, this question comes all of a sudden to me. 

 I haven't given it any thought. I don't understand the purpose of this 

 Igiroup. Is it to report to the President and the public at large? 



Senator Pell. Indirectly, a technique or device that we use some- 

 times in the Congress to keep the public interested and informed, and 

 also a certain check on the operation. 



Dr. Spilhaus. Well, I am one of those who firmly believes that, and 

 one of the basic — my basic reasons for wanting to exploit the sea for 

 the benefit of people is that I believe that not only does science bloom, 

 pure science blooms best, in an atmosphere of application, but that if 

 you are going to ask the people at large to support science, that they 

 not only — we not only ought to feel it is our duty to draw out the 

 benefits of the science for their use, but we ouglit to keep them 

 informed about the progress of it, the implications of it for society in 

 the future. So that any device, and if this is one, that keeps people 

 stimulated, excited, and informed about our program of colonizing 

 the sea, I am for. I don't know if this is the best one or not. 



Senator Pell. I think this is something we would discuss in the 

 committee and if some of the members of the committee like this idea, 

 it surely would be acceptable to all of us. 



