Increasing Budget Constraints Research Articles

Mergers of Botany and Biology Departments

In the article “Biology departments restructure” by Wade Roush (News & Comment, [14 Mar., p. 1556][1]), Rytas Vilgalys of Duke University is quoted as saying that botany at several schools, including Indiana University (IU), has “gone into eclipse” or has lost influence as a result of its merger with zoology. Although the merger of taxon-based departments may have injured botanical studies at other universities, botany at IU has been strengthened by its integration with other disciplines after the interdepartmental merger in 1978. The merged department was replaced by the Plant Sciences Graduate Program, which currently includes 18 faculty members, representing an increase of four plant scientists since the merger. Faculty hires since the merger represent all levels of analysis, ranging from molecular to organismal. In addition, IU plant sciences faculty do not appear to have lost influence in the Department of Biology. The department chair and directors of three of the six graduate programs in biology are plant science faculty. Further evidence of continued excellence in botanical studies at IU includes a recent graduate research traineeship award in the plant sciences from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a “top 10%” ranking by the 1996 Gourman Report. The continued success of botany at IU suggests that departmental realignments need not weaken taxon-specific disciplines, but that instead they may serve to invigorate research areas that might otherwise decline. # Mergers of Botany and Biology Departments {#article-title-2} Vilgalys is quoted as saying that, at schools “where botany and zoology have merged,” including at the University of Michigan, “botany has gone into eclipse.” In fact, it may be argued that the botanical sciences at the University of Michigan have never been stronger. In 1974, shortly before the two departments merged, 27% of the biologists in the departments of botany and zoology were plant scientists. Today that figure is 31%. Of course, I am including in “botanical sciences” such disciplines as plant ecology and plant physiology, whereas Vilgalys appears to define botany as the traditional fields of plant taxonomy and systematics. But even in 1974, a minority of the faculty in the botany department fell into those categories. From the mid-1960s until 1974, the botany department had in place a progressive faculty hiring program; during this time only two “traditional” botanists (out of a total of 12) were hired. The rewards of the foresight of the early administrators of botany may be seen today in the University of Michigan’s thriving programs in such fields as plant ecology, plant molecular biology, and cell and molecular biology in general. # Mergers of Botany and Biology Departments {#article-title-3} In this era of increasing budget constraints and forced restructuring of academic departments as reported by Roush, one wonders whether graduate education and graduate students will be lost in the shuffle. Because graduate students represent an investment, and many of the solutions seem to depend on economics, their worth needs to be clearly defined and reinforced among administrators, faculty, and the students themselves. Graduate students are the life force of an academic department: they perform most of the hands-on research that goes on in research universities; their use as teaching assistants allows faculty the time to pursue research-related activities; and they are routinely called on to provide data and conceptual background to grant proposals “written” by their mentors. Published research done by graduate students is often co-authored by faculty, thus bolstering publication records; presentations of such research at meetings provides critical “advertising” for a laboratory, department, or university. All this while they are paid a minimal salary with few benefits, no sick leave or compensation, and often with no guarantees of funding for the next year. The lack of recognition of such contributions has led graduate students at some schools to unionize. When graduate students are empowered with the attention and respect they deserve, however, the intellectual and economic returns a university can expect far outweigh the original investment. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.275.5306.1556

Support for information technology in science: The federal role

The Federal government has supported information technology in science through mechanisms such as funding R&D in information technology, funding for purchase of information technology equipment, tax credits for purchase and donation of equipment, and funding of database development. Today government is faced with increased budget constraints at the same time that investments in information technology are more critical for scientific research. For example, potential difficulties in extending the limits of existing technology may require increased support so that scientists can have access to state-of-the-art computer and telecommunications technologies. Policymakers are faced with a need to examine various alternatives for supplying scientists with the access to data and information technology necessary for their research. In addition to problems arising from budget austerity, a number of other issues exist. These include the policy of increased reliance on the private sector, the impact of international competition in information technology, the need for access to and dissemination of domestic and foreign scientific and technical information, and the need for coordinated national policies for both scientific and technical information and information technology development. This article outlines some of the issues that could arise in a debate on the appropriate role of government in the area of information technology in science.

Companion Trainer Aircraft: Concept Definition and Evaluation

Faced with increasing budget constraints and a need to conserve the B-52 weapon system, the Strategic Air Command has pursued several avenues to make continuation training programs more efficient. Because actual flight training is considered to be critical, one proposed solution involved the use of a low cost business jet to supplement reduced B-52 flying schedules. This jet would be augmented to provide training for the radar navigator, navigator, and electronic warfare officer in addition to the pilot and copilot. Some training missions would be flown in this Companion Trainer Aircraft (CTA) to reduce the need to fly the B-52. This paper describes two efforts concerning training effectiveness of a possible CTA. First, a theoretical approach based on transfer of training considerations was used to predict the training potential of the CTA. Second, because the transfer expectations for the pilot and copilot were particularly difficult to specify, a study was designed involving operational SAC crews. This study employed a modified T-39B to supplement B-52 training for eight aircrews from the 2nd Bombardment Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA. Although the CTA program was cancelled and the test was terminated early, crew responses to the program and problems encountered provide valuable lessons for any future CTA program.