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The Changing Face of Basic Research
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# : |
14778 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1988 |
2,218 Words |
| Author
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W. Dale Compton
W. Dale Compton is a distinguished professor of industrial
engineering at Purdue University. He was vice president of
research for Ford Motor Company from 1973 to 1986. He is a
member of the National Academy of Engineering and served as
cochairman of the committee that created the report, The
Technological Dimensions of international Competitiveness. He
is the editor of a recent book titled Design and Analysis of
Integrated Manufacturing Systems. |
The capability of this nation to compete--whether in the world marketplace, in the classroom, or on the battlefield--depends directly on whether it can develop and utilize technology effectively. This effort will require the commitment and cooperation of many--a strong research activity, a well-trained work force, industries that will accept new technology and include it in their products and processes, and government policies that support and encourage economic development and technological superiority. The absence of any one of these can endanger the whole. That we must seek to sustain and develop all of these elements is clear. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) noted in its recent report The Technological Dimensions of International Competitiveness, "The loss of leadership in critical fields may have a cumulative effect that not only strips the United States of technological know-how in these areas but may seriously deplete the overall capability of the United States to compete in several related fields."
Basic research is undertaken because of curiosity about the unknown. This curiosity may concern such fundamental questions as the origin of the universe, the arrangement of genes on the human genome, or the mysteries surrounding the loss of electrical resistance in superconducting materials. Similarly, it may concern a new product, or process, or problems that limit the effectiveness of current products or processes.
While research techniques may vary from one field of science to another, the researcher always questions, analyzes, measures, conjectures about, and tries to understand the unknown with the objective of answering questions that others have found unanswerable--or have never asked--or to find ways of doing things better to improve health and well-being. In the process of pursuing the unknown, the researcher is engaging in a process that is as creative as that carried out by the artist, the musician, or the architect.
The Evolution of the Research Establishment
The past five decades have seen unprecedented activity in research as well as change and development in research institutions. To fully understand the implications of these changes requires recalling some important events.
Prior to World War II, research for short-term goals, such as product or process development, was supported by industry--largely within its own laboratories. Longer-range research--basis research that was more generic in nature--was
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