Immigrant Scientists

I was surprised by the lack of comment on your article on foreign-born scientists (R. Finn, The Scientist, Nov. 27, 1995, page 1). In particular, I was disappointed by the lack of support from scientists whose research has benefited from the work of foreign-born students and postdocs.

It was interesting to note that the report from the Center for Immigration Studies cited in the article focused on scientists who were "visibly" foreign-that is, those from Asia or Latino countries-and largely overlooked the recent influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In addition, Canadian scientists and engineers, who have for years moved south to join the American research enterprise, were completely ignored. This cohort is not insignificant; at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Canadians make up the largest single bloc of foreign graduate students.

As an American scientist in the early stages of my...