Scientific Study: Interviews with Seven Science Faculty

By D.P. Rigg
Drew Magazine
Winter 2004

Scientific Study: Drew science faculty discuss the blending of disciplines today as they teach the scientists of the future. Part 1 of 8.

In science, progress frequently depends on the development of good methods. It would seem logical, then, to assume that good science grows better methods, which promise more good science producing even better methods. We can study this spiral of advancement by gazing back at the 20th century.

One hundred or so years ago, antibiotics were unknown, man had yet to conquer flight, helium had just been discovered, and a man by the name of Max Planck began a thought process that would come to be known as quantum physics -- a discipline that he himself didn't take very seriously at first. Ten short decades later, DNA research is mapping the essence of life, robotic probes and remote landers routinely explore the other planets of our solar system, a vast Internet is effectively linking us into one huge global community, and a strange theory about vibrating strings hopes to demonstrate that everything, everywhere can be explained using one basic rule.

What actually went on during that "century of good methods" was a vast expansion and distribution of general knowledge, especially with respect to the development of technology. As progress marched through the sciences, shedding light on and exposing in greater detail the natural wonders, something else happened: the boundaries of the sciences began to blur.

To help us bring order to and understand our natural world, we assign guidelines and identify criteria. But as we peer ever deeper into the mysteries around us, our well defined, traditional concepts begin to meld, and those long-autonomous fundamentals like chemistry, physics, and biology, merge to form new disciplines with complex and diverse perspectives.

Arguably, the strongest driving force behind scientific evolution is money. Scientists need to eat occasionally and the cost of research is high, so practical application can never venture too far from a researcher's mind. For university professors teaching the sciences, practicality is key -- graduating students must be able to find work or qualify for further study.

At Drew's Hall of Sciences, the professors walk the fine line of academic science to prepare their students for a demanding and dynamic future. They provide a strong and broad foundation of learning, while also keeping a watchful eye on what's happening in the field. What do they feel is hot and current in the sciences today? We asked a few of them to offer their comments.