Up Close: Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart
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Editor's Note: This is the seventh article in a series focusing on the research capabilities and goals of interdisciplinary laboratories pursuing materials research in universities, industry, and government. With the bestowal of the 1985 Nobel Prize upon Professor K. von Klitzing, one of the directors of the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) for Solid State Research, there could no longer be any doubt—the Institute had made the ranks of prominent, top solid-state research c e n t e r s in the world. Though Prof. K. von Klitzing was not a scientific member of the institute during his Nobel-prize-winning discovery of the Q u a n t u m Hall effect ( G e r m a n s prefer to call it the von Klitzing effect), he nevertheless used the high magnetic fields and low temperatures available at the subsidiary of the MPI in Grenoble, France. He later joined the Stuttgart directors group, which now has 11 members. What, then, is this MPI all about? I had the privilege of spending somewhat over half a year at this Institute doing research with two groups, free from all the bureaucratic burdens of home. During this time I had a chance to observe some of the inner workings of this scientific research establishment and also to participate actively in research. I became very impressed with the quality, breadth, and depth of the science and technology done there. Before beginning with a survey of the science, I want to summarize some history and give some statistical data. The Max Planck Society was founded in 1948, essentially following the course of the former Emperor Wilhelm Society, a society furthering science in Germany. Today, over 90% of the Society's income, a r o u n d one billion DM in 1985, comes from government sources. The Society operates about 60 institutes with over 4,000 employees doing medical, physical, chemical, astronomical, and materials research, as well as institutes for history, education, psychiatry and law — a broad spectrum indeed! The two MPIs in Stuttgart, housed in the same building which was completed in 1976, are focusing on solid-state research of nonmetallic materials and on metals research. Together they form the largest unit in the MPI system. They employ approximately 600 people, half of w h o m are scientists. Also, a significant n u m b e r of g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s perform their research at the two MPIs. On average, close to 100 guest scientists work at
the two institutes at any given time. With which kind of U.S. laboratories can the MPIs in Stuttgart be compared? There is no exact U.S. analogue, though unclassified solid-state research performed by teams consisting predominently of professionals a n d s u p p o r t e d by g o v e r n m e n t f u n d s can be f o u n d at m a n y n a t i o n a l laboratories. A strong graduate student component exists at several national laboratories as well. The considerable difference in size and support forces the MPIs to focus on a smaller number of research projects. On the other hand, the smaller size gives greater flexibility to adapt to new research
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