Richard Courant
The lecture, emphasizing the need for national and international scien tific cooperation concerned mainly the ways in which in the present era the Unites States are trying to cope with a number of basic problems in conducting research on a broad front. Some of these all pervading problems are: How can the essentially individualistic character of productive creation be reconciled with the ever increasing compelling need to cooperate in teams during rigid office hours? - How can one keep the extremely expensive machinerie such as Electronic computers, Reactors, Synchrotrons, Research Ships etc. in their roles as tools, not as masters of research activities? - What is the true relationship between 'pure' and 'applied' research? - What should the interaction between research and teaching be? - Above all: What can be done about the overriding manpowerproblem? - How does one reconcile the need for freedom with that for planning, the material depen dence with intellectual independence? Against an historical background the lecture indicated how during the time since the last war these problems are beeing attacked in the United States by various agencies which grew organically, not in a rigid precon ceived pattern. The role of seemingly military sponsors of research and training was discussed, in particular the famous Office of Naval Research and the Atomic Energy Commission; the ever increasing importance of the National Science Foundation was described. Also the role of private foun dations was mentioned.
