Focus in this survey, conducted at the request of the National Science Foundation, is on young doctorate faculty (i.e., those receiving their Ph.D. in the last five years) employed full-time in science and engineering departments at Ph.D.-granting institutions. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 1,148 departments at 137 institutions. They…

Priorities for development of a successful career as a physiologist are described. Areas considered include: (1) adequate pre- and post-doctoral training; (2) research specialty; (3) selection of department/institution; (4) productivity; (5) research grant support; and (6) the training of doctoral students and fellows. (JN)

Reports on a symposium on reforming general chemistry curriculum sponsored by American Chemical Society's Education Division. Presents several discussions including levels of the goals of general chemistry, newly recommended content, and the pros and cons of descriptive chemistry. (YP)

Finds that people who switched from science to nonscience majors at four-year colleges and universities left for the same reasons that "persisters" were discontented with their educational experience. Examines criticisms of the structure of science, mathematics, and engineering education, and the loss of women and minorities. (LZ)

How the experience of science-based Ph.D. students working in or funded by Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) compares with their peers in regular university science-based departments is the key focus of this article. CRC doctoral programmes that integrate industry needs with professional development offer an alternative to traditional…

To provide firsthand knowledge of investigators and institutions for the evaluation of grants proposals, the Grants staff or Research Corporation visits hundreds of colleges and universities each year. Their finding reveal that department chairmen have a unique influence on the conduct of research and the motivation of students, as well as the…

Described is a physics course for satisfying the junior-year writing requirement. Gives nine assignment examples of the course. Discusses the use of the writing component as a teaching aid in junior level "Electricity and Magnetism" course. (YP)

The Education Act of 1989 brought into existence the New Zealand National Qualifications Authority (NZQA), of which the first major task was to develop a national qualifications framework (NQF; New Zealand Government, 1989). The NQF was initially envisaged as a unified framework into which all secondary, vocational, and tertiary qualifications…

Presented in table format are student enrollment data for geoscience disciplines at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Subfields for both countries include: geology; geophysics; oceanography; marine science; geological engineering; geophysical engineering; geochemistry; hydrology; mineralogy; paleontology; soil science;…

This is part of a series of four modules intended to present guidelines to representatives from a community for evaluation of their school's secondary science programs. This module encourages the representatives to review, ponder, and evaluate the science curriculum in their schools for their children and students and then: (1) decide what it is…

Informal notes are presented from conference discussions by 18 newly appointed chairmen, three highly successful resource people who could draw on their own experiences as department heads, and several additional special discussion leaders. Topics of interest to the department chairmen were covered, including the chairman's pivotal role, dealing…

Describes the environment and responsibilities of a new faculty member at a private medical school. Emphasizes four considerations for starting research programs at such schools and four major sources for research funding. Indicates that, as research programs gain momentum, more time is available to increase participation in teaching and service.…

Describes the chemical engineering program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, including history of the department, faculty research interests and professional activities, graduate and undergraduate programs, and research in nuclear engineering. (SK)

Criticisms of attempts to measure the educational and research quality of universities are discussed, particularly with respect to methods that rely on the quality of faculty publications. However, it is argued that institutions supported by public funds must be accountable and some form of assessment is necessary. (JMD)

Discusses the driving force behind interdisciplinary research organizations such as intellectual and socioeconomic needs, skepticism of the organizations and questions of research quality. Elements of successful organizations including three approaches on tenure-promotion decisions are described. (YP)