Senior scientists and scholars

The rapid advances in science are compounding the difficulties encountered by even the experienced scientist in keeping up to date in his own and related fields. The Federal Government enters this picture in providing educational opportunities to senior scientists in the form of fellowships and specialized science seminars. Fellowships usually provide stipends and expenses to the scientist for an extended period, thus allowing him to pursue advanced training necessary for intellectual and professional growth. The science seminars are usually devoted to a specialized topic and are limited to a relatively short time period. In fiscal year 1963, the Federal Government expended approximately $16 million through the Public Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the National Science Foundation for these purposes. The Public Health Service and the National Institutes of Health provide postdoctoral fellowships for advanced study in the health and related sciences. The Atomic Energy Commission provides a limited number of postdoctoral fellowships in fields associated with atomic energy. The National Science Foundation provides support broadly for postdoctoral study in mathematics, engineering, and the physical, life, and social sciences. Seminars in advanced science topics are also supported by the National Science Foundation.

Graduate students at the predoctoral level

Programs at the predoctoral graduate student level are designed to provide stipends and expenses to students while enrolled in graduate study programs leading to a doctorate in science or engineering. A significant number of graduate students in science and engineering are supported through fellowships and training grants sponsored by several Federal agencies. Such support may be termed nonduty stipends since services of the student are not a consideration for holding them. Such stipends may be awarded for study in specific areas, such as nuclear engineering or biological oceanography, or in the sciences generally. The latter are awarded in all areas of science and engineering without Government specification of a selected area. More than $200 million were obligated by the Federal Government for fellowships and training grants in fiscal year 1963. Among the Federal agencies administering such programs are the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Atomic Energy Commission, the U.S. Office of Education, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Many thousands of graduate students in science and engineering are also supported through Government programs which finance research projects at colleges and universities. These graduate assistants thus are employed in activities which relate directly to their graduate education.

Undergraduate students

Programs at the undergraduate level are designed to further the development of undergraduates in science and to stimulate student interest in further study in science. Such programs give students an opportunity to become acquainted with research techniques and operations beyond the level customarily known to undergraduates. Students frequently act as junior colleagues on research projects conducted by senior scientific investigators and are encouraged to develop

capability necessary for independent research. Approximately $8 million were obligated for these programs in 1963. Agencies providing such support include the National Science Foundation, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the National Institutes of Health.

Secondary school students

Unique courses of study or research participation experiences not ordinarily available in regular secondary school courses are supported by Federal agencies for high-ability, science-oriented students. These programs usually are carried on in colleges, universities, and research centers with Federal support. Such activities are usually available during the summer months, although some operate during the school year as well. Approximately $4 million were obligated for these purposes by the National Science Foundation and the Atomic Energy Commission in 1963.

Teachers of science in colleges, secondary, and elementary schools

A major problem in our educational system is the shortage of adequately trained science and mathematics teachers. A sustained effort is being made, primarily by the National Science Foundation, to provide supplementary training for teachers at the college, elementary, and secondary school level in modern concepts of science and technology. In general these programs provide concentrated courses of study in a given area of science for teachers now employed. Although the programs are principally attended by secondary school teachers where the greatest need is felt, a substantial number are designed for college faculty members and a few activities provide training for elementary school personnel. Most of the teachers attend institutes during the summer vacation months, although programs are also available for full-time study during the academic year or for part-time study during the school year. Such institutes are normally operated by colleges and universities with National Science Foundation support.

Smaller programs for the training and retraining of teachers include summer fellowships and science faculty fellowships which support the individual teacher in graduate study. Programs for research participation for high school and college teachers are designed to give teachers with stronger science backgrounds an opportunity to improve their scientific skills by working with experienced investigators.

The principal agencies engaged in the support of these programs are the National Science Foundation, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the U.S. Office of Education. During fiscal year 1963 an estimated $65 million was spent by the Federal Government on all these programs.

Educational facilities and equipment

Adequate facilities and equipment are essential for science instruction and research. Government programs assist educational institutions through providing funds for laboratories and classrooms, and specialized installations such as field stations, computing centers, oceanographic research vessels, nuclear facilities, etc. Most of the support has been given for graduate level research facilities at the universities, which contributes greatly to education at this advanced level. Programs for providing instructional equipment at the undergraduate and secondary school level are considerably smaller. An estimated

$123 million was provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the support of research facilities in 1963. Support for instructional equipment for the same year, estimated at approximately $50 million, was provided through the Office of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the Atomic Energy Commission.

Curriculum improvement

Courses and curricula in science at the elementary, secondary, and higher educational levels have not kept pace with the rapid growth of scientific and technical knowledge. Increasing attention is now being paid by leading scientists to the development of improved instructional programs in science and mathematics for schools and colleges. Agencies providing support in this area include the National Science Foundation, the Public Health Service, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Approximately $15 million was obligated by these agencies for this work in 1963.

These Federal programs for curriculum strengthening have created widespread interest in improving curricula and methods in science education. Definitive materials are now in use by more than a million students of secondary school chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology. This interest is not only evident at the secondary level but also at both elementary and college level.

[Statement before Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Manpower, Nov. 14, 1963] THE NATION'S ENGINEERING MANPOWER NEEDS (By Carl Frey, executive secretary, Engineering Manpower Commission, Engineers Joint Council)

During the last decade, engineering and scientific manpower problems have had an increasingly vital relationship to our Nation's economic and military goals. Today, technological brainpower affects four vital areas:

A. Defense and space: The level of sophistication involved in the space effort and in our offensive and defensive military weapons systems has resulted in a steadily increased dependence upon high level engineering and scientific manpower. There is little evidence to indicate anything but a continued trend in this direction. It has been estimated that 60 percent to 70 percent of our Nation's engineers are directly or indirectly related to the defense and space effort.

B. Extending U.S. influence in underdeveloped nations: Our efforts to extend a democratic influence to developing nations invariably relates itself to some area of our technological capacity. Whether it be the distribtuion of surplus foods, building of roads or airports, or the services of highly trained specialists, our technology plays an indispensable role. The extent to which this overall effort can continue will depend to a large degree on our manpower resources in engineering and related fields.

C. The world economy: I believe we are fast heading for a world power balance, which can best be described as a mixture of technology and economies. This "techno-conomy" is a unique blend of world

affairs in which technological manpower will play a major role. Already there are signs which point to the possibility of such a development, including repeated economic challenges from the Soviet Union, the formation of economic supranational organizations such as the European Common Market, and the intense interest in industrialization in such areas of the world as the Far East, Africa, and Latin America.

D. The domestic economy: Basic to all our efforts is the maintenance of a healthy, growing domestic economy. Those areas in which the greatest growth has occurred invariably parallel fields of technological development. Here again, the demand upon high level manpower will increase measurably if such growth is to continue.

I have tried to sketch in the broad framework against which the present condition of engineering manpower may be viewed in perspective. In a sentence, then, I believe the identification of our engineering and scientific manpower requirements, and the development of effective programs to achieve necessary manpower goals, will have a direct effect upon the lives of all Americans.

THE ERRATIC HISTORY OF ENGINEERING MANPOWER SINCE WORLD WAR II

In order to accurately identify the nature of engineering manpower requirements, it is important to distinguish between short-range fluctuations in demand and long-range requirements extending for periods of 5, 10, or more years. For example, the decade of the fifties was marked by at least two full cycles of engineering manpower demand: from the surplus of manpower in the early fifties, to the shortages during the Korean conflict, to the surplus during the recession in 1957. to the shortage during the last years of the decade resulting from the impact of the space program. Viewed as a whole, however, we can now look back upon the years between 1950 and 1960 as a time when the requirement for engineering and scientific manpower increased at a rate unprecedented in the Nation's history. It is not improbable that the years ahead will be characterized by the same short-range fluctuations. Longer range requirements, however, must be considered in the light of certain basic assumptions. These are:

A. The defense and space programs will continue as one of our primary national goals.

B. The economy will not be thrown into a major prolonged de pression.

C. There will not be a major world conflict involving large-scal use of thermonuclear weapons.

D. The United States will not abdicate its position as a major par ticipant in the world economic structure.

Given these assumptions, long-range requirements begin to assum some significance.

THE PRESENT U.S. SUPPLY OF ENGINEERS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGICAL MANPOWER BALANCE

We are now graduating approximately 35,000 engineers per year at the baccalaureate level. See table 1, below.)

Since 1957, however, consistently smaller proportions of our college freshmen have elected to go into the engineering curriculum. (See chart A.) The result is that enrollment in our engineering schools, which up to 1957 followed all-college patterns, is now going counter to the sharp increase in total enrollments. (See chart B.) We hope enrollments this fall will show a reversal in this trend.

In the world balance of engineering manpower, we can identify three major groupings of about a million each; one in the United States, one in the Soviet Union, and one within the broad European complex. In the United States, the growth of engineering manpower has been extremely slow in recent years. In the Soviet Union, the growth has been extremely rapid, the latest level at about 125,000 engineering graduates per year. For the greater European complex, growth rates are difficult to determine, although it seems most likely that they are somewhat higher than in the United States and somewhat less than in the Soviet Union. Important, however, is the fact that a very high proportion of European engineers are engaged in activities which are devoted to an expansion of the civilian economy, and relatively few diverted into military or space activities.

FUTURE SUPPLY VERSUS FUTURE DEMAND

Rough projections as to the probable number of engineering degrees during the next decade indicate a sizable gap between what we will have and what we will need. The following paragraphs describe the projections and how they are obtained.