Attracting the Best and the Brightest

摘要

Are careers in scientific research still attractive to the most talented young Americans? This is a critical question since it is widely held that innovation in science depends less on the many "worker bees" in the enterprise than on a decent sprinkling of the very best minds. In one sense such careers surely remain attractive because breathtaking advances in fields such as neuro-science, genomics, and computer science are intellectually exciting. But there are also less attractive aspects that top students must consider in making choices about advanced education and careers. Training and apprenticeship times in science have become very long: ten years or more counting the postdoctoral appointment that has become nearly obligatory for most attractive career positions. Compensation for graduate students and postdoctoral appointees is very modest for professionals who are often in their mid-thirties. Probably most important, prospects for autonomous research positions in academe and elsewhere that most would-be scientists aspire to at the end of this long road are uncertain and increasingly slim.