224 
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 
mittee on Research in Educational Institutions, may nevertheless be of serv- 
ice in organizing the work of the committees. 
(1) It will probably be advantageous to begin by preparing a survey of 
the research aheady in progress in the institution in question. This should 
serve to indicate the possibilities of extending existing work, and point out 
favorable opportunities for initiating new hnes of investigation. 
(2) The Research Council will shortly undertake the preparation of a 
National Census of Research, indicating the equipment for research, the men 
engaged in it, and the lines of investigation pursued in government bureaus, 
educational institutions, research foundations, and industrial research lab- 
oratories. The purpose of the Census is to provide data for the effective 
development of research in pure science and in the industries, as well as for 
strengthening the national defense. The various Research Committees in 
educational institutions can aid the Council materially in securing data for 
the Census, and in supplying information for annual surveys of the progress 
of scientific research in the United States. 
(3) One of the great problems of research laboratories is to find suitably 
trained men to carry on their work. Nearly all of these men come from 
educational institutions, where every available means should be used to in- 
crease the supply. If research is encouraged on the part of faculty members, 
and if its national importance is frequently impressed upon the students, 
more of them will be impelled to follow the career of investigators. The 
tendency toward narrow specialization, so common at present, should be 
counteracted by developing more interest in science as a whole. Lectures 
on the history of science, and broad courses on evolution, covering its various 
aspects, from the constitution of matter and the evolution of stars and the 
earth, to the rise of man and the development of civilization, should be widely 
encouraged. From the purely educational viewpoint such courses may be 
expected to produce a more favorable influence and leave a more lasting 
impression than routine discussions of the minutiae of the various branches 
of science, though the latter are obviously essential in the training of the 
investigator. 
(4) The Council wishes to develop a wider appreciation of the part which 
men of science may play in researches bearing both on industrial progress and 
national defense, including those of ship design, aeronautics, the fixation of 
nitrogen, and many other subjects. Various committees of the Council will 
soon be prepared to furnish information regarding such research problems. 
(5) The development of more general cooperation and coordination in 
research, within each educational institution and in alHance with other workers 
outside, is another important subject for consideration. It is essential to 
remember, however, the necessity of safeguarding the personal freedom and 
the individual initiative of all investigators. 
(6) The interchange of research workers, especially to secure for the smaller 
