Earthly Concerns

Role Of Research In Society Author: NEERAJA SANKARAN Many of the scientists addressing graduating students at universities across North America this year chose to focus in their speeches on science's role in uplifting, rescuing, and, in some cases, bringing harm to society. The speakers invited to deliver convocation addresses were among a distinguished group of science luminaries upon whom various academic institutions conferred honorary degrees for their contributions both within and outside their fields. A long-standing tradition among schools and colleges the world over, honorary degrees were bestowed this year on Nobel laureates, teachers, and industrial scientists, among others. (See the list for a sampling of scientists chosen at different universities in the United States and abroad.) "For a university professor, there is no accolade more meaningful than an honorary degree by a learned institution, because it is being granted by the profession where the recipient has spent his or her career," acknowledges Michael Smith, head of the biotechnology laboratory at the University of British Columbia. He received an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of Western Ontario. A winner of the 1993 chemistry Nobel Prize, Smith was recognized for his contributions to the fields of genetics and biotechnology. Using the changing times as the context for their remarks, various speakers tempered their words of encouragement with caution regarding the future. Reflecting on how scientific advances can affect how humans view themselves, Phillip Sharp, a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a 1993 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, told graduating students at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, that "advancement in biological science, particularly the molecular and genetic study of man as a biological organism, is forcing society to make decisions as to how this new knowledge will be used." The college awarded Sharp an honorary doctor of science degree for his research on the organization of genomic structure. He was among the first to show that the DNA of higher organisms is arranged into coding segments--the exons--interspersed with other pieces with unknown functions. "It is largely due to his work that the word 'exon' evokes more than the oil company that brought us Valdez in the minds of students of modern biology," declares Patsy Dickinson, an associate professor of biology at Bowdoin. Commenting on the progress of genetics since his own discovery, Sharp remarked in his address that "in the near future, human genetics will identify more genes related to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease, and genes related to mental diseases, such as psychosis, schizophrenia, manic depression, and even, perhaps, obesity." However, he cautioned, "We cannot let the rapid and powerful advances be used to return to the thoughts and social programs promoted by eugenics," the controversial study of methods of "improving" the quality of human populations by the application of genetic principles. "When you read or hear reports of genes explaining complex human behavior, please ignore it. It is probably wrong and, if not, it is certainly useless when dealing with individuals," Sharp advised. Some speakers chose to dwell on the environment and science's role in defining its problems and improving it. At Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Edward O. Wilson, Pellegrino University Professor at Harvard University and curator of entomology at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, spoke about the dire implications of environmental destruction. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning sociobiologist (in 1979 and 1991), who was speaker at the commencement of Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters. "If the principal crisis for this century was the threat of nuclear war, the great crisis of the next century, when you will take charge, will be environmental decline," he predicted. "I like to think of the problems of global environment in the metaphor of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first three horsemen in environmental terms are ozone depletion, global warming by the greenhouse effect, and toxic pollution. You may not have heard about the fourth, which is species extinction, especially by destruction of natural habitats. "In the Book of Revelations, the fourth horseman rode a pale sickly horse and was Death, and to which the other horseman were ancillary. Extinction is the death of the biosphere, and it's one change that cannot be reversed. But we can slow it and eventually stop it, and take other measures to keep the Earth green and beautiful and productive for humankind. There are tremendous opportunities for you ahead in this principal activity of the 21st century." At the University of Western Ontario, Smith implored students to act on the information that science has gleaned about threats to the environment. He warned that "the world has [only] a finite capacity for responding to the demands of human society." Highlighting some of the existing conditions, he stressed, "It is absolutely essential that human society starts to act to limit population growth, to stop polluting the environment, to develop an economic system that is sustainable worldwide. . . . "Science can and must work with society to solve these problems. But science and technology can only provide tools and blueprints for action and social change. It is the leaders and decision-makers who must act, and an intelligent, educated, scientifically literate, and compassionate society that must drive them to act, who hold the key to the future." The importance of continued research and education for the benefit of society and the personal growth of the students themselves were the messages of some of this year's honorary doctorate awardees. In his speech to his alma mater, Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., which awarded him an honorary doctor of science degree, Mitchel Sayare, president and CEO of Cambridge, Mass.-based ImmunoGen Inc., declared: "I believe that, within reasonable limits, many problems can be solved by the application of science and the research that goes into it." For example, he said, "If you measure medical progress by the rate of development of cures for human disease, then the conclusion that research works is inescapable." Sayare, a 1970 graduate of Ursinus' undergraduate biology program, stressed that research has relevance in even broader contexts: "The scientific methods are the methods we use when facing the challenges of life. We unconsciously build internal models to ex-plain things to ourselves. We test assumptions nearly constantly. The more we challenge, test assumptions, and ask impertinent questions, the more likely we are to learn about ourselves and about our environment." Emphasizing the wide-ranging significance of education, George Olah--an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California and the 1994 Nobel chemistry laureate--told this year's USC graduates: "The most significant foundation is education and training. It is not only essential for the overall good of our society--a rather abstract theme--but is also essential for the individual to achieve a higher standard of living and fulfilling life." Olah received an honorary doctorate in science from USC in Los Angeles, which is also his alma mater. Like Wilson, Paul Berg, a cancer researcher at Stanford University Medical School and 1980 Nobelist in physiology or medicine, received an honorary doctorate from Penn State. Speaking at the university's Eberly College of Sciences, Berg concluded his remarks with a simple message: "Aim high, try hard, and above all, enjoy life." (The Scientist, Vol:9, #13, pg.1, June 26, 1995) (Copyright, The Scientist, Inc.) garfield@aurora.cis.upenn.edu 71764.2561@compuserve.com

Earthly Concerns

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of