Excerpt

The workshop, “Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences: Issues for the 21st Century,” brought together scientific leaders in government, industry, and academia to explore and discuss the various features of graduate education in chemical science and technology. Using case histories and their individual experiences, speakers examined the current status of graduate education in the chemical sciences, identified problems and opportunities, and discussed possible strategies for improving the system. The discussion was oriented toward the goal of generating graduates who are well prepared to advance the chemical sciences in academia, government, and industry in the next 5 to 10 years.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Chemical Sciences Roundtable
• Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
• Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
• Preface
• Acknowledgment of Reviewers
• Summary
  • OVERVIEW: CHEMICAL SCIENCES IN THE GRADUATE UNIVERSE
  • THE CURRENT STATUS OF GRADUATE EDUCATION IN THE CHEMICAL SCIENCES
  • KEEPING AN EYE TO THE FUTURE IN DESIGNING GRADUATE PROGRAMS
  • THE GRADUATE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
  • ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURES AND ATTITUDES
• 1. The Challenges to American Graduate Education
  • DRIVING FORCES
  • RESULTS OF THE 1995 NSF WORKSHOP
  • UPDATING THE WORKSHOP—CHANGES SINCE 1995
  • DISCUSSION
• 2. Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences
  • SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Graduate Education in Chemistry: A Personal Perspective on Where It Has Been and Where It Might Go
  • HOW HAS GRADUATE EDUCATION IN CHEMISTRY CHANGED?
  • WHAT SHOULD GRADUATE EDUCATION ACHIEVE?
  • WHAT DO UNIVERSITIES PROVIDE TO INDUSTRIES?
  • DISCUSSION
• Panel Discussion
• 4. External Research Collaborations Enrich Graduate Education
  • CASE HISTORY 1: AMELIA
  • CASE HISTORY 2: ARBY
  • CASE HISTORY 3: ANTONIO
  • OTHER ISSUES
  • PROFESSORS: BEYOND THE USUAL
  • DISCUSSION
• 5. Portals to Knowledge: Information Technology, Research, and Training
  • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WILL BLUR THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
  • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WILL BLUR THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DISCIPLINES
  • IT IS AS EASY TO MOVE ACROSS THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINES AS IT IS TO MOVE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINES
  • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WILL BLUR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HERE AND THERE
  • THE BIOLOGY WORKBENCH
  • DISCUSSION
• 6. The Graduate Student in the Dual Role of Student and Teacher
  • WHAT MODELS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING MIGHT GRADUATE STUDENTS HOLD?
  • WHAT ASSUMPTIONS DO WE MAKE WHEN WE PLACE GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE ROLE OF INSTRUCTOR?
  • HOW CAN WE ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE OF GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTORS?
  • SUMMARY
  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  • DISCUSSION
• 7. Keeping an Eye to the Future in Designing Graduate Programs
  • INTEGRATION OF BASIC RESEARCH AND GRADUATE EDUCATION
  • FUNDING OF BASIC RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITIES
  • WHO SHOULD BE EDUCATED?
  • AMERICAN OPINION ABOUT SCIENTISTS
  • SUPPORTING GRADUATE STUDENTS
  • ENCOURAGING UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS
  • RESPONSIBILITY FOR K-12 EDUCATION
  • TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
  • UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
  • INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT IN UNIVERSITIES
  • HOMEWORK
  • DISCUSSION
• 8. The Graduate Student Perspective
• 9. The Making of a Chemist: My Adventures in Graduate School
• 10. A Perspective from a Former Graduate Student
• 11. New Students, New Faculty, and New Opportunities: Preparing Future Faculty
  • KEY CONCEPTS OF PFF PROGRAMS
  • CAMPUS-BASED PFF ACTIVITIES
  • PFF IN THE CHEMICAL SCIENCES
• Panel Discussion
• 12. Broadening the Scientific Ph.D.: The Princeton Experience
  • ATTACHMENT 1 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY FELLOWSHIPS FOR PH.D. STUDENTS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • ATTACHMENT 2 PAPERS (PUBLISHED AND ADVANCE DRAFTS)
• 13. Across the Disciplines: Center-based Graduate Education and Research
  • DISCUSSION
• 14. Training Grants in the Chemical and Biological Sciences
  • INTRODUCTION
  • HISTORY OF PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY GRADUATE EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • RELATED READING
  • DISCUSSION
• Closing Remarks
• Appendixes
  • A List of Workshop Participants
  • B Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers
  • C Origin of and Information on the Chemical Sciences Roundtable

Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-9630106, the National Institutes of Health under Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139, and the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02-95ER14556.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Energy.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the workshop organizing committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.