Editorial
- 17 February 2001
A Fissioning Atom Can
Generate Good Along Unexpected Paths
Born
in 1900 in Russia he emigrated with his parents to the United States while still
a youngster. Admiral Hyman Rickover oversaw the construction of the first
nuclear submarine, commissioned in 1954. While engaged in recruiting a staff of
competent specialists, he became increasingly frustrated. As a result, he became
one of the most outspoken advocates of an educational system that met the
challenges of the world in which the United States then found itself. In Education
and Freedom (1959) he wrote, "education is the most important problem
facing the United States today... only the massive upgrading of the scholastic
standards of our schools will guarantee the future prosperity and freedom of the
Republic." It has something of a familiar ring to it (see for example the
Glenn Report, Before It's Too
Late). A special act of Congress allowed him to continue in the US Navy
until 1982.
The following year the eighty-three year old retiree was
still greatly concerned about the state of American education and founded the
private Center for Educational
Excellence (CEE) with a mission to "challenge students and to
assist them on a long-term basis to
develop the creators, inventors, scientists and leaders of the 21st
century."
The Centre sponsors two free programs for high school
students: the Research Science
Institute (RSI) and the Role
Models and Leaders Project (RMLP). Each northern summer the Research
Science Institute fully supports for six weeks 50 US and 25 foreign students as
residents at MIT. They are chosen solely on ability and the "students
participate in an academic program emphasizing mathematics, the sciences, and
engineering, and complete hands-on research projects guided by mentors at
universities, corporations, and research centers in the Boston area." The
calibre of the young men and women chosen to participate in the programme is
indicated by four of its 1999 alumni placing 1st, 3rd, 4th,
and 8th in the 2000 Intel Science Talent Search. It was the third
consecutive year that "Rickoids" claimed first prize in the
competition which is the top science talent search in the US.
The Role Models Leaders Project fulfils a different
function. It "encourages minority and economically disadvantaged high
school students to pursue higher education and careers in science, technology,
and business... Participants are selected because they have demonstrated clearly
the abilities necessary to flourish in post-secondary science and mathematics
studies, but lack the useful advantages of many other students. RMLP provides
these unique opportunities and experiences to foster greater success."
Apart from some government funding, the Center receives
most of its resources through private and corporate support. Despite the problem
of differences in the school year between the northern and southern hemispheres
it could prove worthwhile for our more enterprising high schools to bring the
CEE to the attention of its most promising students. But more to the point,
wouldn't it be prudent for the Federal Government in cooperation with the
private sector to institute a similar initiative for Australia. The rewards for
the nation could be (would be?) outstanding.
Alex
Reisner
areisner@bigpond.com