Teachers and mentors: Striving to bequeath roots and wings

CHED 1488

Dudley R. Herschbach, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138
“There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other, wings.” In this talk, first I want to call attention to a precious bequest from Dick Zare's scientific grandfather, E. Bright Wilson, Jr. More than 50 years ago, Wilson published his Introduction to Scientific Research. Still in print in a Dover edition, the book offers evergreen advice and wisdom to nourish both roots and wings. I urge anyone responsible for mentoring research students—undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral—to have your students read Wilson's book. Second, I want to provoke discussion of what I regard as an urgent need to reform the Ph.D. by shortening the time required and uncoupling support of students from project grants.