NSF Woitehop on Graduate Education Examines Needs for the 21st Century
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NSF Woitehop on Graduate Education Examines Needs for the 21st Century The preparation of students for careers in materials-related fields is close to the heart of many members of the Materials Research Society. Anectodal evidence abounds that students with a PhD degree in a field of physical science are having increasing difficulty finding employment, arid that their education is often improper preparation for the position that they ultimately assume. While some members of the physical science community have been slow to recognize this situation, things are changing, triggered by the need to prepare the next generation for increasingly diverse careers, coupled with the prospect of sharply reduced federal spending on science and engineering in the years to come. On June 5-6, 1995, the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a workshop on "Preparing the U.S. Scientist for the 21st Century: A Plan for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Training for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences." Academicians, industrial experts, leadership of professional societies (including MRS) and other experts focused on the critical issues related to graduate and postdoctoral education in MPS. Participants examined current strategies for graduate education and postdoctoral training and suggested approaches for the next decade. Issues examined included (1) educational strategies that better prepare graduates for a wider range of employment opportunities, (2) strategies for doctoral training that provide for broader research options, (3) approaches for improving participation of both U.S. citizens and members of under-participating groups in science training, (4) educational strategies that encourage greater university and industrial links, and (5) appropriate investment by all sectors necessary to impact and shape the quality of the nation's scientific work force in MPS. While NSF is likely to fare better in the current federal budget discussions than many other areas of discretionary spending, it is nevertheless clear that its budget will decrease as we approach the turn of the century. In the face of budgetary pressures, members of the scientific community are called upon to deliberate how best to use shrinking resources and simultaneously improve the capabilities of one of the most important products of the academic research enterprise— students who go on to careers in other sectors and fields.
Leaders in various sectors pointed out some of the shortcomings of the current system of graduate education. John Armstrong, retired from IBM, pointed to the narrowness of student preparation, coupled with the increasing average length of time required to earn a PhD degree. Edel Wasserman, science advisor at DuPont, questioned the appropriateness of the present PhD degree for many jobs in industry. While technical training continues to be critical, the narrow nature of the current PhD degree is inappropriate for the many career changes that a graduate may be expected to make
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