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research and development support, for further “flight from teaching,” 
for for other ills often ascribed to mission-oriented | university activity. 
In order to avoid such pitfalls, means must be devised to relegate 
the initiative for utilization of research results to specially equipped 
institutes or to applied research centers. The responsibility of industry 
to share the cost and effort in this program by new cooperative ar- 
rangements should be established and motivated. 
In summary, the encouragement of students and graduates to enter 
ocean-related fields should come from the excitement and from the 
motivation of expanding the horizon of land-based science, engineer- 
ing, and technical specialties into the marine environment and not 
from establishing new areas of glamor or superficiality. 
Engineering infor mation dissemination : Let me comment briefly on 
the subject of ocean engineering information centers. In studying the 
requirements for information dissemination related to the oceans, it 
seems desirable to distinguish clearly between the process of data man- 
agement and the problem of disseminating engineering information. 
The former is receiving major study and support : the latter problem 
is not so clearly understood and may need special identification con- 
cerning its value. 
Dissemination of engineering information imphes engineering anal- 
ysis or design procedures, the compilation of handbooks or design 
manuals, the conduct of engineering studies, and consulting engineer- 
ing activities. It connotes data interpret ation and the application of 
resulting information to timely solution of engineering problems. A 
few organizations exist which specialize in this type of activity on a 
national scale. It is believed that such a function should be assured 
as part of the growing national activity for utilizing the ocean. 
Generally speaking, the effective management and operation of any 
of these existing engineering information centers seem to depend upon 
three broad requir ements : 
(a) <A cadre of professional engineering personnel working 
as experts in the appropriate fields, “either in design or research, 
all qualified to select and interpret data, to apply these data to 
engineering problems, and communicate effectively; 
(dD) Continuous and stable funding of the information enter- 
prise, independent of the user’s ability t to pay ; and 
(c) Management and administration of the activity by a non- 
eovernmental entity under contract to Government and/or 
industry eroups. 
This third element seems essential to maintain objectivity and to 
avoid problems of proprietary interest. 
T suggest that an initial center related to the oceans should cover 
the field of ocean materials information, based upon the history and 
success of the Defense Metals Information Center maintained ce Bat- 
telle Memorial Institute. Other pertinent subject areas might be de- 
veloped later for successive ocean information centers, following im- 
depth studies, and as the requirements of the national program of ocean 
exploitation might dictate. 
It is further recommended that a study be made concerning the 
establishment of a confederation of ocean engineeirng information 
centers, and that responsibility for the Gov ernment participation in 
