INTERNATIONAL

ISF gains support at Pugwash conference

Proposed International Science Foundation would aid scientific research in developing countries

.S

Ο

C. M. Varsavsky (above) and Roger Revelle (left) concur that the growing tendency by developing countries to oppose aid may be a problem for ISF

When he was a member of an educa­tion committee in India in 1964, Dr. Roger Revelle frequently asked In­dian students whom he visited how many of them wanted to be univer­sity professors. "I was always struck by the lack of affirmative re­plies/' says the chairman of the Na­tional Academy of Sciences' board of science and technology for interna­tional development. "These stu­dents saw their professors leading very difficult lives; overburdened with teaching responsibilities, the pro­fessors never had the time or funds

to do research. It was then I decided that there must be a way of making university life fun for both professors and students in developing coun­tries."

From Dr. Revelle's Indian experi­ence grew and developed the idea of the International Science Foundation (ISF), whose purpose it would be to promote scientific research and educa­tion in developing countries in pure and applied fields.

Dr. Revelle, who is now with Har­vard University's center for popula­tion studies, related ISF's history and

ISF would support research relevant to development problems Although the International Sci­

ence Foundation is not yet an existing organization, those men who have been involved with the idea of creating such a foundation believe that the research grants policy of ISF should be based on certain fundamental principles. These include:

• Research should be supported in fields of basic and applied science that are relevant to the needs of developing countries and should be comparatively inexpensive in terms of equipment and highly trained manpower.

• Any scientist in a developing coun­try would be eligible for support inde­pendent of his institutional affiliation, provided that his project fulfills the first criterion.

• The special need for continuity of support of scientists and technicians in developing countries should be recog­nized. Allocation of funds should be

made for a specified period, normally several years. Near the end of the specified period, ISF would consider with the institution concerned whether the work supported could be assimilated by the institution into its normal work or be shared by ISF and the institution for a further specified period.

• The average size of grants should be relatively small with an upper limit on the order of tens of thousands of dollars for any single grant. ISF would especially try to give marginal support for expenses that are difficult to cover from other sources.

• Special encouragement should be given to groups of scientists to submit joint proposals for research in a de­fined field to create essential nuclei for future centers of excellence and proj­ects of particular relevance to develop­ing countries.

• In many institutions, the infrastruc-

goals early this month to participants at the Stanford pre-Pugwash Confer­ence on Science and Development in Palo Alto, Calif. (C&EN, Sept. 7, page 11). His intention in doing so, he explains, was to determine if the ISF idea has validity, and, if so, to gain support among Pugwash partici­pants.

What he succeeded in doing, in fact, was to spark a candid and often heated debate among the 40 Pugwash scientists representing developed and developing countries on ISF's merits and disadvantages. At the end of an

ture for high-quality research is lacking. It will be necessary to provide limited support for technical assistance to the research workers, including glass blow­ers, electronic technicians, instrument makers, and maintenance men, in addi­tion to limited support for scientific and shop equipment, books and journals, and provision for travel.

• Application for grants should be favored from scientists who will provide research opportunities for graduate stu­dents.

• Salaries of faculty members in aca­demic institutions could be included in a grant for a limited period to make it possible for the institution to increase the size of the faculty to undertake re­search in addition to teaching.

• Any research grant would require approving consultation with the respon­sible official of the concerned institu­tion in the developing country.

26 C&EN SEPT. 14, 1970

for w e most phospncne octer surfactants

TYPICAL PROPERTIES e . i r - Moisture

Hydro- f ê t a n t Content

- ^ ï ï ^ i T ^ 8 % 2.0%

physical State oc°C

Specific Gravity 25°C

SOLUBILITY*

Lb . /Ga» . lo l§ loS % Mineral K ^ ^ n £ 3 h a n o l J A i a ^ a p p r o x J ^ C J^- : Ζ " S D

8 * 2 ^ X 5 H

* 5 % surfactant, 95% solvent (by wt) **Listed by FDA as suitable for use

in food packaging materials.

S=soluble (forms clear solution) H=soluble (forms hazy solution) D=dispersible or setf-emuisifying l=insoluble (gross phase separation)

• ••and send for literature on Gafac Surfactant applications: Π Pesticide Emulsifiers

Π Industrial Alkaline Detergents

Π Drycleaning Detergents

Π Textile Wet Processing

Π Lubricants for Synthetic Fibers

Π Emulsion Polymerization

Π Cosmetic Emulsifiers

• And samples of the following materials

GAF Corporation Surfactants · Dept. 512-090

140 West 51 Street, New York, Ν. Υ. 10020

Name

Title

Company

Address

City

State Zip

qaF

This automated system has the precision of

a microscope and the speed of a computer

Up until now, if you wanted to make precise particle measurements, you had to put up with slow, tedious, manual microscope methods.

If you wanted to make fast par­ticle measurements, you had to put up with the lack of precision charac­teristic of indirect instrumental methods, such as light scattering.

Now, the TTMC Particle Mea­surement Computer System gives you both speed and precision in counting particles, in determining size distributions, in characterizing shapes.

It can rapidly and accurately measure projected length, Feret's diameter, longest dimension and to ta l count —• norma l l y made manually.

It can also make measure­ments, such as average area, aver­age projected length, and oversize

counts, which a human operator can only estimate or compute. It can measure collectively on an entire field or selectively on an individual particle.

The TTMC System can greatly expand your abilities to make so­phisticated particle measurements for research or routine repetitive measurements in quality control. You buy only those computer mod­ules (functions) you need.

Typical applications include the analysis of: abrasives · cement · powdered metals · hydraulic fluids • pigments · air and water contami­nation · emulsions · fibers · fine chemicals · flour

To learn more about the TTMC System, call or write John Glass, Mill ipore Corporation, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730, Telephone (617) 275-8800.

afternoon of lively dialogue, Dr. Revelle didn't have the formal state­ment of support that he was seeking. But the consensus of the scientists— despite some well-taken objections-was that IS F is a good idea and that Pugwash scientists have a role to play as individuals by stimulating interest in IS F in their respective countries.

Inception. If ISF never pro­gresses beyond its current status, that of an idea, it would undoubtedly be more than just a mere disappointment to Dr. Revelle, who has nursed the idea from its rather undramatic incep­tion. As early as 1961 the idea of an "international fund" for devel­opment was mentioned at the Pug­wash conference in Stow, Vt. Dr. Re­velle revived the idea at the Venice, Italy, Pugwash meeting in 1965 as an outgrowth of his Indian experiences. The idea was also independently con­ceived by several other men as well, Dr. Revelle recalls, among them Dr. Robert Marshak, president of City College of New York, and Dr. Glenn Seaborg, of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Nothing much hap­pened, however, until 1969 when Pugwash scientists meeting in the So­viet resort city of Sochi spent an en­tire week considering the purpose and principles of such a foundation.

Events have accelerated rapidly since then, Dr. Revelle explains. In April of this year the decisions made in Sochi were presented to the Advi­sory Committee on Applications of Science and Technology (ACAST), an advisory committee to the United Nations Economic and Social Coun­cil (UNESCO). ACAST gave its

Pugwash focuses on problems of power, peace, and poverty Pugwash takes its name from the re­mote Nova Scotia village where the first such international conference was held in July 1957. At that time Ameri­can and Soviet nuclear physicists were fearful that their countries would stum­ble into a nuclear war because of in­adequate understanding of its conse­quences. The danger that led to the convocation of the first Pugwash con­ference has somewhat abated, even if by no means been permanently elimi­nated. But the Pugwash movement, a continuing and loosely organized body of world scientists, still meets regularly to focus its disciplines on global power, peace, and poverty. Thus the 11th Pugwash conference meeting in Lake Geneva, Wis., Sept. 9-14, has as its topic Peace and International Coopera­tion: A Program for the 70's. Its two working groups focus on problems of disarmament and technology in devel­oping countries.

mmwmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmsmmm^ miLLIPORE C&EN SEPT. 14, 1970

A unique combination of capabilities

for counting, sizing and „ characterizing ^

i . . ' oarticles w

Your profile interests us.

Our computer matches your profile of interests to each week's journal articles.

approval to the formation of a new international independent organization designed to meet the challenge of the widening gap between developed and developing countries. At the end of July scientists from 16 developed and developing nations enthusiastically approved ISF's formal statement of purpose and the research grants policy principles (see box on page 26) at a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

To realize the purpose of ISF, the foundation has several unique func­tions. Dr. Revelle claims ISF would:

• Scout for and identify individual scientists of exceptional merit to be supported as fully as possible by ISF.

• Provide financial support for re­search in the form of grants for equip­ment or salaries to individual scientists or groups of scientists, the criteria for the grants made being the quality, timeliness, and promise of the pro­posed research and its relevance to the needs of the countries concerned.

• Solicit and raise funds from inter­national bodies, governments, enter­prises, industries, other foundations, and individuals for operating ISF.

Tall order. For any organization to do what ISF proposes is a tall order, Dr. Revelle concedes. And in the spirit of the Pugwash movement sci­entists at Stanford were quick to point out some of the problems of ISF's purposes and principles.

Perhaps the major obstacle to ISF's becoming a reality is the problem of financing—where to get the $5 million that Dr. Revelle estimates is needed to begin the foundation. This is a problem with which many interna­tional organizations have had to cope.

Unquestionably, any one of the more developed countries, such as the U.S. or the U.K., alone could supply the relatively modest $5 million needed for ISF. But to do so, ISF would run the risk of scientific imperi­alism, asserts Dr. Edwin Kretzmann of the United Nations development pro­gram. Thus it's essential that the funding of ISF not be tied to any one government or ideology, he adds.

Despite the difficulties with fund­ing, Dr. Revelle believes that it is the least serious of the obstacles to ISF. Another obstacle arises that has social as well as political repercussions. "There is a growing tendency," notes Dr. Revelle, "for developing countries to actively oppose aid from developed countries and even from international organizations."

Dr. C. M. Varsavsky of Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia concurs wholeheartedly with Dr. Revelle's as­sessment. The scientist in a develop­ing country, he opines, can't win. If he accepts aid he is accused of selling himself out to the foreign imperialist— Dr. Kretzmann's scientific imperialism.

ASCA® (Automatic Subject Citation Alert) is a custom information serv­ice geared to your personal informa­tion needs. For technical administra­tors and working scientists it is an insurance policy—insurance that you won't miss any item of specific inter­est appearing in over 2,500 scientific or technical journals.

No longer need you depend upon hit-or-miss browsing to locate cur­rent information that is valuable to your work. (Including material pub­lished in obscure or foreign journals to which you don't subscribe.) For ASCA gives you massive, compre­hensive coverage on a totally selec­tive basis.

It gives you what's pertinent. How does ASCA work? You simply

complete a profile specifying the topics in which you're interested. We then alert you each week to all articles that fall within the precise areas of interest defined by you. We also provide an easy way to obtain the articles you want quickly and inexpensively.

Now in its fourth generation, ASCA has reached a high level of sophis­tication. It allows you to pinpoint with remarkable accuracy and effi­ciency—as no other service can— information relevant to your work.

How do you write a profile? By asking individual questions or combi­nations of questions. Including cited reference questions, an ISI exclusive.

Here are some examples of the types of questions you may include in your profile. You can ask for all

items in current journals that cite the work of a particular author . . . all articles citing a particular journal or a particular work . . . everything a particular author or organization pub­lishes . . . all titles containing a single word, a word fragment or a combina­tion of words. Even Boolean expres­sions may be used. And you can add, or delete, questions at any time.

In short, ASCA is a must for any­one concerned with science. And it's remarkably inexpensive considering the coverage and personalized na­ture of the service. Economical group plans are also available.

Want to know more about ASCA? Just return the coupon below.

D ^ D D INSTITUTE FOR SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ι 325 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106, USA ι

Telephone: (215) 923-3300. Telex: 84-5305. Cable: SCINF0

| 132 High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK | ι Other offices in Washington, Ottawa, Paris, Tokyo ι

I Gentlemen: CEN-9/14-0 | | Please send me full information on ASCA® |

NAME

TITLE

COMPANY/DIVISION

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE ZIP

COUNTRY TELEPHONE

© 1970 ISI "

SEPT. 14, 1970 C&EN 29

Title: POSSIBLE MECHANISMS IN DEVELOP^^^^^B&lJsaB

Title: A CYCLAZOCINE TYPOLOGY IN 0 P I A T*^^^^SSllJl Author: RESNICK RB, FINK M., FREEDMAN A M ^ ^ ^ | H ^ S Journal: AMERICAN J OF PSYCHIATRY, VOL. 1 2*^^^^^Μ||

Title: OPIUM SMOKING AND ITS ΡULMONA*^^^^^SfPJil

WORLD TRADE

By EARL ANDERSON Senior Editor

Unshackling the Eximbank

Last month, Sen. John J. Sparkman (D.-Ala.) and Sen. Wallace F. Bennett (R.-Utah), both members of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee, quietly introduced a bill that may do as much—or more—to help the U.S. trade balance as the controversial trade bill that emerged from the House Ways and Means Committee recently.

The Sparkman-Bennett bill proposes a simple amendment to the Export-Import Bank act that would exclude Eximbank receipts and expenditures from the government budget. In effect, it would give the Eximbank more flexibility in financing U.S. exports at a time when export credit terms are becoming increasingly competitive and increas­ingly important. In fact, fears of an export credit war are probably more realistic right now than all of the fears expressed about a trade war involving tariffs and other import restrictions. An attempt to establish international rules on export credit within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is making agoniz­ingly slow progress. The Eximbank is the principal U.S. government agency responsible for financing U.S. exports. Long-term direct loans historically have been the bank's main activity, but recently it has been placing increased emphasis on export credit guarantees, insur­ance, discount loans to commercial banks, and short-term loans. The previously staid and slow-moving Eximbank has been transformed into a dynamo under the leadership of its new president, Henry Kearns. In the fiscal year just ended, Eximbank financed $5.5 billion worth of exports, nearly double the $2.9 billion in fiscal 1969.

Within two years, Mr. Keams believes, Eximbank could be financing $10 billion worth of exports if it had a little more elbow room. That's where the Sparkman-Bennett bill comes in.

The basic Eximbank act gave the bank the flexibility it needed to operate usefully and economically, a flexibility that has been justi­fied by Eximbank's track record. However, when the unified govern­ment budget concept was introduced four years ago, Eximbank's opera­tions became a part of the total budget. As a result, its ability to borrow money has been restricted. Under the federal budget con­cept, Eximbank's private borrowings are counted as expenditures, even though the money it borrows is passed on to the private sector as export credits. Mr. Kearns questions this accounting practice and says that Eximbank is only a conduit for private-sector money.

Mr. Keams believes that the balance of trade benefits that could come from Eximbank's operations justify its exemption from the federal accounting system and Sen. Sparkman and Sen. Bennett obvi­ously agree. Sen. Sparkman says that, even though Eximbank's funds were recently increased from $9 billion to $13.5 billion, binding its operations to the federal budget prevents it from reaching its full poten­tial in supporting U.S. exporters. Not only will the proposed amend­ment remove these "crippling restraints" of the budget, it will also make certain that Eximbank's commitments don't aggravate future budget deficits or endanger desirable surpluses.

One complaint against such a proposal has been that it would set a precedent for exempting other government programs from the federal budget. Actually precedent already exists, says Sen. Sparkman, citing federal pension, insurance, hospitalization, and retirement funds.

However, the two Senators do not think that the merit of their bill relies on precedent. They feel that Eximbank's activities are dif­ferent enough from other government lending activities to warrant exemption and that these activities are vital to a strong balance of trade. Eximbank's ability to provide export credit, says Sen. Sparkman, is the only effective mechanism for countering the export credit schemes of competitive nations.

But if he doesn't accept aid, he is ac­cused of preventing development in his country.

In addition, Dr. Varsavsky opposes some international organizations on the grounds that they favor "outward-looking scientists" at the expense of "inward-looking scientists" in a de­veloping country. Outward-looking scientists, Dr. Varsavsky says, are those men who keep up with the latest advances in science and technology in the rest of the world and carry out their research mostly inspired by such advances, but who don't contribute directly to the national needs and problems of their country, as the in­ward-looking scientists presumably do. But Dr. Revelle counters that IS F could help achieve a balance be­tween the outward- and inward-look­ing scientists by giving opportunities and recognition to younger scientists (in the inward-looking group) who are now suppressed by university and/or government bureaucracies.

Relevant. Still another problem with ISF is that of identifying those young scientists whose research is really relevant to the needs and prob­lems of development in their coun­tries. One question frequently raised by the Pugwash scientists was, "What is the criteria of relevance and who decides what is timeliness?" Dr. Revelle acknowledges that this is one of the trickiest and touchiest aspects of any international organization. "But we must and can select fields that would result in promising and effec­tive results based on the needs and goals of the country itself." To this end, he says by way of example, al­most all practical chemical research is relevant.

In any case, the most serious prob­lem that ISF faces is more political in origin than any of the problems pre­viously raised. Developed countries themselves are increasingly reluctant to engage in any kind of organization that has international implications and spheres of influence. Ten years ago, maintains Stanford University chemist Carl Djerassi, ISF would have been accepted in a moment. Now the cli­mate in developed and developing countries has changed, he believes.

Whether ISF's time has truly come or whether it is to remain an idea, al­beit a good one, is still a matter of speculation. Its fate may be deter­mined by Pugwash scientists who at press time are meeting in Lake Ge­neva, Wis., at the plenary session of this year's conference. If Dr. Revelle gets his mandate this week it's entirely likely that ISF will soon be formed. If not, suggests one Stanford Pugwash conferee, ISF need not die. After all, he says, organizations, like experi­ments, never fail, they just reorganize.

30 C&EN SEPT. 14, 1970