The Invisible University: Postdoctoral Education in the United States. Report of a Study Conducted Under the Auspices of the National Research Council. [Richard B. Curtis, Study Director] (1969) / Chapter Skim
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pages 241-313
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From page 241... ...
If he plans a career in industry, it might be wise to attach himself immediately to an industrial research laboratory where he can learn the appropriate styles of applied or project-oriented research by working with those who are committed to it. For the man who wants to become a master researcher, i.e., to train other students in research by joining the faculty of a graduate-degree-granting university, the postdoctoral appointment is the common route to follow.
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From page 242... ...
There is a concomitant tendency to look back 1There is a special place for postdoctoral work when the field is undergoing a rapid evolution. The recent surge of interest in mathematical methods in some of the social sciences, for example, has outstripped the ability of the schools to reorganize their curricula to cope with the change.
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From page 243... ...
Although our discussion to this point has been concerned with the postdoctoral experience immediately following the PhD, the conclusion is valid for postdoctoral study at more senior levels as well. We shall return to this area in more detail later.
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From page 244... ...
In practice neither extreme predominates, although some postdoctorals supported by faculty research grants approximate the former and some of those supported by training grants the latter. What is desired and what occurs much of the time regardless of the support mechanism is a combination of the two.
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From page 245... ...
Those who construct and monitor federal programs should give thought to ways of combining the best of both approaches. Before returning to the question of how many postdoctoral positions there should be, we must consider the third important mechanism of support, the postdoctoral fellowship.
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From page 246... ...
They are all seen as means to the same end, namely, the postdoctoral experience. We believe that this fact of life should be accepted, without suggesting that the differences among the programs are unimportant or that these different mechanisms of support should not continue.
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From page 247... ...
In addition, the total number of postdoctoral opportunities of all kinds should have some relationship to the number of people with postdoctoral backgrounds required by universities, by specialized industries, and by government laboratories and to the number of doctorate-holders who would benefit by the experience. Such a determination would necessitate some planning of manpower requirements.
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From page 248... ...
Foreign postdoctorals of marginal quality should not be encouraged to make the investment in coming to this country when their talents might be better used at home and, in general, foreign postdoctorals should be urged to return home. However, we should not allow too great a concern for the relevance of the American postdoctoral experience to the needs of the home country to prevent an exceptional foreign scientist from participating in our programs.
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From page 249... ...
In Table 58 we give the results of a survey taken in the fall of 1968 to measure the impact of federal research cutbacks on the postdoctoral population in physics and chemistry.4 Although the reduction in numbers is not as severe as had been anticipated, it must be remembered that the demand for postdoctoral TABLE 58 A Comparison of the Physics and Chemistry Postdoctoral Population in 1967 and 1968 Type of Academic Physics Postdoctorals Percent Chemistry Postdoctorals Percent Institution 1967 1968 Change 1967 1968 Change Ten leading 260 212 -18.5 379 356 -6.1 Twenty other major 311 330 +5.9 557 319 -6.9 Established 233 221 -5.2 406 433 +6.7 Developing 143 155 +8.3 358 415 + 16.1 Total 947 918 -3.1 1,700 1,723 +1.4 Source: NRC, Office of Scientific Personnel, follow-up survey for the postdoctoral study. The need for greater appreciation of the senior postdoctoral appointment is reflected in the decision of the National Science Foundation to drop their senior program temporarily in favor of the regular program during the present federal restrictions on funds.
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From page 250... ...
The postdoctoral activity has had to "piggyback" on the graduate and research program, acquiring whatever space the faculty member could sequester or squeeze out of existing space. Because postdoctoral education has not received an institutional commitment, only a license to exist, the rate of acquisition of equipment or, conversely, the limiting of numbers of students and faculty members in accordance with the availability of equipment has not generally been determined with the postdoctoral in mind.
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From page 251... ...
Some have had the experience as teaching assistants while in graduate school, but some have not. Even though the prime purpose of the postdoctoral appointment is a research apprenticeship, the ability to communicate one's new knowledge is also important.
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From page 252... ...
Similarly, recent changes in the form used by the Survey of Earned Doctorates of the National Research Council have made the data on the backgrounds of new postdoctorals much more useful. We hope that the National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel can include explicit questions on postdoctoral experiences in its surveys of individual scientists.
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From page 253... ...
The migration of the foreign postdoctoral could be plotted and the relationship between the "brain drain" and the availability of postdoctoral appointments could be more thoroughly understood. Beyond the longitudinal study, data should be collected periodically from postdoctorals to establish new data bases.
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From page 254... ...
Postdoctoral education is a useful and basically healthy development, both immediately following the doctorate and later for more senior investigators. Its major purpose at the earlier stage is to accelerate the development of an independent investigator capable of training others in research.
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From page 255... ...
The allotment of existing space and the planning for new facilities should include explicit recognition of the anticipated postdoctoral population at both the immediate and senior levels. Postdoctoral fellowships should carry with them sufficient support for research expenses, so that the fellow need not depend on his mentor's sources of support to carry out his proposed research.
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From page 256... ...
Postdoctoral project associates and trainees are likewise attracted to excellence in science, since the research and training grants are generally made with a view to the scientific capability of the principal investigator or the training faculty. As institutions that do not now host postdoctorals are developed to excellence by the attraction of leadership-quality faculty, postdoctoral s will follow.
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From page 259... ...
, other institutions receiving HEW Graduate Training Grants (182) , and selected industrial laboratories (28)
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From page 260... ...
In this much more diffuse area of postdoctoral activity where the definition is stretched to the extreme, our rate of return is 53 percent. If we take, as an average, a return rate of 65 percent for the basic medical sciences, assume that the fields generally associated with the arts and sciences at universities share the 80 percent return rate of the EMP fields, and assume that the return rate from postdoctorals outside of universities is the same as from those in universities, the total postdoctoral population comprised approximately 16,000 persons in the spring of 1967.
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From page 261... ...
261 POSTDOCTORAL CENSUS QUESTIONNAIRE THE STUDY OF POSTDOCTORAL EDUCATION Spomorcd by the NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL NATIONAL ACADEMY op SCIENCES -- NATIONAL ACADEMY op ENGINEERING If you have • poetdoctoral position (MM definition on the ettached shMt) pleeae fill out thil queetionneire end return it to your ueuejuueut ofiee (or other daeicneted office)
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From page 262... ...
on« for taUng • pMtdoctonl appoiBtaMatT iaa-«i Ptan imnr tha followinf »itli raapM to tha natun of your potdocunl activltia.
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From page 263... ...
The coordinators and presidents were asked to distribute these departmental questionnaires to those departments that deal with the fields listed and to return the completed questionnaires to the Study office. The distribution of returns is as follows: Other Colleges and Universities Field Humanities Social sciences Physical sciences Engineering Biological sciences Basic medical sciences Medical specialties Education Combined departments Total Departments More than Universities Half PhD in the CGS Faculty 425 592 658 307 354 238 150 201 199 17 66 12 645 Less than Half PhD Faculty 91 105 98 5 36 1 335 Other Institutions 14 209 244 19 486 Total 666 898 955 329 455 265 209 244 19 4,040 2,574 Note: Number of schools responding, 357; number of schools approached, 422.
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From page 264... ...
264 APPENDIX A: THE QUESTIONNAIRES FIELDS OF STUDY COVERED BY THE DEPARTMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire should be completed at each institution by that department chiefly responsible for each of the following fields of study. At many institutions one department may be responsible for several of the fields listed here, e.g., a department of applied science may include all the engineering fields or a department of social studies may include the fields of economics, political science and sociology.
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From page 265... ...
: iacuity appointments at other institutions Postdoctoral appointments at other institutions Had just completed work for a doctor's degree (PhD.
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From page 266... ...
tivitiei may embran uiy appropriate combination of iiudy, teaching, and rciearch. Pleaie itate the numbei of full.tunr graduate uudenti now holding Teaching appointment!
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From page 267... ...
Thus those we thought were PhD mentors only were discovered to belong in the other group. In the social sciences a 10 percent random sample of the PhD advisers was taken to make the number comparable to the number of postdoctoral mentors.
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From page 268... ...
Of iheae M D '«, how many are doing research u part of their residency training? 4 One of our concenu u the relationship between reeearch training and rewarch iupporL Approximately what u your total reaearch budget this fiscal year, 1M8-CT?
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From page 269... ...
fteaearcfc degree candidates doctorala Carry out complete sections of work Contribute stimulating new ideas Keep us in touch with research at other institutions Contribute necessary ancillary skills Open up new ares* of research Perform naciuary research routines to the quality and sophistication of the work a to the tempo of the work B.Tv+eking Help conduct laboratory counes
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From page 270... ...
In the approprUt e ap>m briow to cluneterlo your fonrign poMdoctorab: QiMJttV of prnioiu rMMrvh iremtne. Comparad with your US postdoctoral«, they h«ve Better theoretical training _ Better laboratory training Equally good theoretical training - Equally good laboratory training Leal good theoretical training _ Leat good laboratory training Relevance of thrlr portdortore!
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From page 271... ...
Name (PLEASE PRINT) Country of which Present addrett, if known they were a citizen Plaaw return to The Study of Portdoctoral Education, National Rasearefa Council.
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From page 272... ...
496 (63.3%) It was subsequently discovered that the definition of a postdoctoral appointment in Harmon's study differed from ours.
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From page 273... ...
When we examine the returns and separate the respondents according to their replies we get the following distribution: Respondents Who Had Immediate Delayed No Postdoctoral Postdoctoral Postdoctoral 1950PhD.s 44 82 146 1955PhD.s 94 87 173 1960PhD.s 139 46 162 Total 277 215 481 These totals do not add to the numbers given in the previous table, since 19 respondents did not give sufficient information to allow themselves to be classified.
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From page 274... ...
Research, Including training aiudcnu in research % Instruction, including lectures, seminan, tutorials, etc.
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From page 275... ...
Institution merit type« R•• isation". .Insert the appropriste code from below: 1 -- Research associate: appointment under research grant funds -- Nffl Postdoctoral Trainee: appointment under training grant -- N1H Postdoctoral Fellow: awarded in national competition -- NSF Postdoctoral Fellow: awarded in national competition -- NSF Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: awarded in national competition -- Other government fellowship: awarded in national competition -- Other non-government fellowship: swarded in national competition -- Other ••Check if part of residency training following the M D '••Use Aeid numben from the attached specislities list
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From page 276... ...
Had no such appointment 17. Were your postdoctoral appointments periods of enhanced productivity?
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From page 278... ...
278 APPENDIX A: THE QUESTIONNAIRES A-5 Institutional Questionnaire In addition to the above machine-processed questionnaires an open-ended questionnaire was designed to be answered by each institutional coordinator for the Study to determine institutional attitudes toward postdoctoral education. These were sent to the 165 schools whose postdoctoral s responded to the census questionnaire.
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From page 279... ...
Would you like to see a change in the relative numbers of postdoctorals on national fellowships, postdoctorals on research grants, and postdoctorals on training grants? Should the funding agencies be encouraged to support one type of appointment more than another?
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From page 280... ...
Do you feel that your institution maintains sufficient control over the duration of postdoctoral appointments, or should this control be tightened? How long should a postdoctoral be allowed to stay?
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From page 281... ...
To what extent do you provide to your younger faculty members opportunities for their continued education in research comparable to the opportunities for research afforded by postdoctoral appointments? To what extent can Junior faculty appointments serve the same purpose as postdoctoral appointments?
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From page 282... ...
Can you make a case that these grants should be increased, or is it likely that the federal agencies. support in the aggregate of postdoctoral research appointees, postdoctoral trainees, and postdoctoral fellows covers the cost of their education?
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From page 283... ...
For the purpose of presentation of data, however, the three-digit codes were grouped into larger subsets and identified by generic phrases. Since these subsets do not always correspond to the groupings in the Specialties List, we present below the groupings used in this study: Field Inclusive Codes Mathematics 000-099 Astronomy 100 Physics 110-199 Chemistry 200-299 Earth Sciences 300-399 Engineering 400-499 Agricultural Sciences 500-509 Basic Medical Sciences 520, 540, 564, 534, M42, M43, 536, 530 Biosciences All in 520-599 not listed above Psychology 600-699 Social Sciences 700-799 except 730 Arts and Humanities 800, 730, 810-830, 840, 888, 889 Education 900-999 Professional and Other 850-880, 899, unknown Internal Medicine M10-M19 Other Clinical Medicine M01-M06, L21-L50, M20-M94, except M42, M43 Allied Medical Sciences L01-L15, L60-L90, 510-519 283
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From page 284... ...
In only the following cases have we combined two or more three-digit codes: Pathology: 534, M42, M43 Education: Administration: 930, 933, 935 Educational Psychology: 630, 635, 910, 915 Guidance and Counseling: 940, 945 Measurement: 920, 925 Methods: 970-996 Philosophy: 900, 903, 905 Special Education: 950-958 General Dentistry: 516, L60 Optometry: 515, L71 Pharmacy: 511, L80 Public Health: 512, L14 Veterinary Medicine: 513, L90 Medical Sciences, Other: 510, 514, 518, 519, L01
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From page 285... ...
Engin. 480 -- Sanitary 485 -- Textile 498 -- Engineering, General 499 -- Engineering, Other Agricultural Sciences 500 -- Agronomy 502 -- Animal Husbandry 504 -- Fish & Wildlife 505 -- Forestry 506 -- Horticulture 508 -- Agriculture, General 509 -- Agriculture, Other Medical Sciences (For Medical Specialties, see reverse side.)
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From page 286... ...
286 APPENDIX B: COMPILATIONS OF DATA SPECIALTIES LIST (CONTINUED) 830 -- Music 840 -- Philosophy 815 -- Speech S< Dramatic Arts 888 -- Arts & Humanities, General 889 -- Arts it Humanities, Other Prof.
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From page 287... ...
287 FINE FIELD DISTRIBUTION OF POSTDOCTORALS MEDICAL SPECIALTIES LIST (For use with the Postdoctoral Survey) M01 Administrative medicine M02 M03 M04 M05 Anesthesiology Chemotherapy Dermatology General Practice M06 Geriatrics M10 Mil M12 Internal medicine, general Allergy Cardiovascular disease M13 MI4 M15 M16 Endocrinology Gastroenterology Immunology Infectious disease M17 Metabolism M18 M19 Nephrology Pulmonary diseases M20 Rheumatology M31 Obstetrics M32 M35 M36 Gynccology Oncology Ophthalmology Otolaryngology M37 M42 M43 M44 Anatomic pathology Clinical pathology Hematology M90 M9I M92 M93 M94 Pediatrics, general Pediatric allergy Pediatric cardiology Pediatric hematology Pediatric neurology LOl Physical medicine & rehabilitation LI 2 Aerospace medicine L13 Occupational medicine L14 Public health LI5 General preventive medicine L21 Psychiatry L22 Neurology L24 Nuclear medicine L25 Radiobiology L26 Clinical radioisotopes L30 Radiology L32 Radiological physics L40 General surgery 1,41 Cardiovascular surgery L42 Colon & rectal surgery L43 Neurological surgery L44 Orthopedic surgery L45 Plastic surgery 1.46 Thoracic surgery L47 Urology L50 Tropical medicine L60 Dentistry, general 1.61 Dental public health L62 Endodontics L63 Operative dentistry 1.64 Oral pathology 1.65 Oral surgery 1.66 Orthodontics 1.67 Pedodontics L68 Periodontics L69 Prosthodontics L71 Optometry L72 Osteopathy L73 Podiatry (Chiropody)
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From page 296... ...
Table B-2 gives the number of postdoctoral s at each institution reporting postdoctorals and the number in the major fields by which institutions were rated. Associated with each institution and field is the rating used in this study (1 - ten leading, 2 - twenty other major, 3 - established, 4 -- developing, 1Allan M
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From page 297... ...
Two points should be stressed. The numbers given represent the numbers of those postdoctoral s who responded to our Census questionnaire in the spring of 1967.
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From page 298... ...
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From page 299... ...
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From page 303... ...
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From page 304... ...
The classification of countries by per capita GNP is based on World Bank figures,4 and the nomenclature we used is: Classification Per Capita Gross National Product High income More than $750 Medium income $250-$749 Low income $100-$249 Very low income Less than $100 In Table B-3 we provide data on postdoctorals, listing each country separately. The per capita GNP classification is given with the code: High -- 1, Medium -- 2, Low - 3, Very Low - 4.
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From page 306... ...
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From page 309... ...
Cain, Arthur S., Jr., and Lois G Bowen, The Role of Postdoctoral Fellowships in Academic Medicine, The Journal of Medical Education, Vol.
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From page 310... ...
(A report on the status, trends, and requirements of plant sciences in the United States.) National Research Council, Office of Scientific Personnel, Proceedings of the Conference on Postdoctoral Fellowships and Research Associateships in the Sciences and Engineering, Williamstown, Mass., Sept.
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From page 313... ...
LB 2371 .154 1969 The Invisible university: postdoctoral education ir 71 .154 1969 The Invisib1e university: postdoctoral education in
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