Robert Cahn on:
National Academy of Sciences, Applied Science
and Technological Progress - A Report to the Committee on Science
and Astronautics - US House of Representatives - 1967
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In 1965, the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the U.S.
House of Representatives requested the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences to prepare a report on the special problems of basic research
and its support by the Federal Governrment in the United States.
This report was transmitted to the Committee in March 1965. A little
later, the Academy was invited to prepare another report, this time
on (in the words of Frederick Seitz, the President of the Academy)
"the special problems of effective applications of the resources
of science to advances in technology." I saw a mention of this
second report, published in June 1967, and promptly sent for a copy
from the U.S. Government Printing Office (at the lofty price of
$1.50). It seems that very few copies can have been printed for
sale, because I have never encountered anyone else who had seen
it. For my part, I have cited it, and quoted from it, steadily for
the past 36 years. My interest was primarily in those chapters of
the book (3 in number) which were focused, to a greater or lesser
degree, on materials, because at the time I had just begun to create
the first undergraduate course in materials science in Britain,
at the University of Sussex, and this book was published 8 years
before the huge COSMAT Report on 'Materials and Man's Needs' which
could otherwise have helped me in my efforts. However, when the
book arrived, I saw that its interest to me was much wider than
that, and moreover, it was obvious that this interest would not
be time-bound.
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The fact that this splendid book is so little known outside 'The Hill'
and that its wisdom remains so relevant today, was my reason for agitating
for its reissue and much wider circulation. Fortunately, today, we have
the convenience of the Worldwide Web, and so there is no need for expensive
paper and print. It is not necessary for me to list the large roster of
very eminent authors or what they wrote about; the Table of Contents can
serve for that (reproduced above). As a materials scientist, I wish to
draw special attention to just two of the chapters: (1) Cases of research
and development in a diversified company, by C. Guy Suits and Arthur M.
Bueche. The company was GE,the authors were both former directors of research,
and the chapter consists of scrupulously prepared case-histories of a
number of major innovations during the preceding decade, with careful
attention to the antecedents, personnel, patents and key publications
relating to each of them. This chapter is the very model of how such case-histories
should be put together. (2) Applied Science and Manufacturing Technology,
by Donald Frey and J.E. Goldman. They present case histories of many materials-related
innovations in U.S. industry and how they sprang from previous scientific
research. I was particularly impressed by the account of Percy Bridgman's
academic research on metal forming under high hydrostatic pressure and
how his findings were applied to permit very large deformations without
intermediate annealing in manufacturing practice.
All of the chapters go into specific detail and draw broad conclusions,
and there is little handwaving. There are hardly any illustration, but
the book is none the worse for that. At the beginning of the book, a long
(unsigned) Introduction draws the threads together and is followed by
the first chapter, by Harvey Brooks of Harvard, under the title "Applied
research: definitions, concepts, themes". This is one of those rare
technical books which does not date. I am extremely pleased that it is
to occupy, once again, its deserved place in the sun.
Prof. Robert W. Cahn, FRS
Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
- Front page
- Committee members and preface
- Introductory letter by Frederick Seitz,
NAS President, and panel members
- Introduction: 1, 2-3,
4-5, 6-7, 8-9,
10-11, 12
- Conclusions and Recommendations: 13, 14-15,
16-17, 18-19
- Harvey Brooks: Applied Research Definitions, Concepts, Themes: 21,
22-23, 24-25, 26-27,
28-29, 30-31, 32-33,
34-35, 36-37, 38-39,
40-41, 42-43, 44-45,
46-47, 48-49, 50-51,
52-53, 54-5
This page was last updated on 15 May 2004
by Arne Hessenbruch
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