Education depends on research

摘要

Years ago the petroleum industry looked at academic research as producing two products - high-quality graduates and technology - and invested accordingly. During the long years of repetitive downsizing, investing in the next generation of employees was a low priority. The challenge was to survive the present. Now, with high oil prices driving investment in energy technologies of all kinds, we should remember the human product when we evaluate how we invest in research. In the 2-decades-long decline of investment in future technical talent, all aspects of technology development suffered. As companies fought to reduce costs, they cut fat, then muscle, and then into the bone. Starving patients do not recover overnight, and no amount of micromanagement of the surviving technical experts can replace good nutrition.