OTA report targets science education needs - Chemical & Engineering...
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Tut tie: possible sale of division but only 11% of earnings. Accord ing to Standard & Poor's, the debt credit-rating agency, such a sale could weaken Pennwalt financially and could saddle any company ac quiring Pennwalt with heavy debt. Tuttle also referred company shareholders to an article in the June 20 issue of Barron's, which charged that Centaur partners Estrin and But ler and companies they operated have had a history of security laws violations. Marc Reisch, New York
OTA report targets science education needs Fewer students seem to be interest ed in science and engineering ca reers these days, and many who could enter these fields don't be cause of insufficient encouragement, scholastic preparation, and finan cial support. To counteract this trend, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) ad vises schools and colleges to seek out and welcome potential science and engineering students and nur ture their talents. In addition, OTA says that students must perceive that fulfilling career opportunities will be available to them when they get their degrees. In a report released last week, OTA laid out a number of policy β
June 27, 1988 C&EN
options that could enlarge the pool of science and engineering students. The short-term strategy is aimed at encouraging u n d e r g r a d u a t e and graduate students to complete their degree work and, especially in the case of science undergraduates, to go on for the Ph.D. The long-term strategy is to improve elementary and secondary science and math ed ucation so as to interest more stu dents in studying science and engi neering. OTA also believes that the Na tional Science Foundation should strengthen its leadership in science education. One way to do this, OTA says, is to require NSF to employ more staffers experienced in elemen tary and secondary school education. Spending through NSF's Science & Engineering Education (SEE) Di rectorate has fluctuated through the years, although it is now at a high point (C&EN, May 16, page 31). Still, OTA sees the need for a separate board patterned on the National Sci ence Board. "A separate board," OTA
says, "would ensure that funding for science and engineering educa tion [would be] centrally coordinat ed through the SEE Directorate, rath er than being dispersed across the research directorates of NSF." The study's director was Daryl Chubin who says his interpretation overall amounts to expression of confidence in NSF as the lead agen cy in science, mathematics, and en gineering education. "But whether they really commit themselves to that is another question," he says. "There is widespread perception among the various education com munities that NSF is reluctant to embrace and fulfill its role here. The challenge is to bridge the re search communities and classroom practice and that's something that doesn't come easily." Chubin said the Department of Education has the authority to do more to press for improvement and reform in the field, but currently defines its mis sion too broadly. Ron Dagani, Washington
EC moves on CFCs, other air pollutants Dawn was breaking over Luxem bourg as the latest environment council meeting of the 12 European Community countries ended. But by morning, progress was made toward improving and safeguarding air quality by cuts in chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production and nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions from power stations. Unresolved is sues, including an upper limit on emissions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons from smaller car en gines, will be tackled at another meeting this week. Sometime in the next few months, the EC countries will ratify the 1985 Vienna Convention on the Protec tion of the Ozone Layer, and the protocol to the convention drawn up at Montreal (C&EN, Sept. 21, 1987, page 7). This will mean that the protocol will take effect next Jan. 1. There was agreement, too, on reg ulations within the community that reflect the protocol. Taking 1986 as the base year, the 10 EC-based com panies that together account for about a third of the million or so
metric tons of CFCs produced glob ally must freeze output from the mid dle of 1989. That will be followed by a cut of "at least" 20% in 1992, and a further 30% in 1998. This com bination will determine the maxi mum quantities that may be used. A company wishing to rational ize production will be entitled to switch output between plants, but won't be allowed to transfer it be tween countries without agreement of the country where reduction is planned. Member states, moreover, will be entitled to adopt their own strict measures as to CFC produc tion and use. Denmark and the Netherlands, for instance, tend to favor a total ban. But if a move is made by a country to reduce CFCs, a like quantity won't become avail able to producers in the other states. Gaseous and particulate emissions from power stations remain the subject of some controversy. But the agreement now envisioned calls for several stepwise reductions of ni trogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions to the year 2003. Dermot O'Sullivan, London
