Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Chemists in the 1980s enjoyed their self-image as, not only good citi-
zens who had cleaned-up their operation during the previous decade, but
as human benefactors (Woodburn 1976) through their crucial contribu-
tion to pharmaceutical research. The message of the PR is loud and clear:
since chemists are helping humankind by devising new, efficient drugs
against disease, if they are to continue doing so successfully, they need
more money for equipment.
That brought up the battle for funding with the rival discipline, phys-
ics. Physicists in the 80s were better than chemists at grantsmanship and
public relations and were henceforth more successful in getting mam-
moth collective projects financed. Chemists, conversely and as illustrated
in the PR, prided themselves on demographics, on beating physicists in
sheer number of jobs - or better yet in the production of Ph.D. scien-
tists. 27
Chemical science was moving at such a furious pace in the 80s that
the scientists were unable to keep up with the information they were gen-
erating. Fullerenes are an outstanding example of such an information
overload. Richard Smalley made a point in his Nobel Lecture by refer-
ring to pioneering work by a number of scientists in several countries of
which he, Kroto, and Curl were unaware at the time of their discovery of
C 60 (Smalley 2003).
8.
The 1990s: Attempts at Rebranding
The 1990s were the period of rather massive retirement of the post World
War II baby boomers from their positions in academia and industry. How
would this generation change impact chemistry? Would there be a take-
over by Generation X? Would it bring in an entirely new set of human
and professional values? The perhaps surprising answer is that continuity
stifled mutation.
I base this assessment on a study I made of young faculty members in
American chemistry departments, and of their stated research goals, us-
27
The statement has to be balanced with the disaffection of undergraduate students with
the sciences, for chemistry in particular, starting in the 70s (Neckers 1979).
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