Third World Collaboration Eugene Garfield’s commentary in the October 31 issue of The Scientist (page 10) concerning the connection of Third World scientists to laboratories in developed countries was of special interest to me. I applaud his arguments concerning the global value of such collaboration.
I am the chairman of a subcommittee of the American Physical Society’s International Scientific Affairs panel, which is looking into the possibilities for extended collaboration between scientists in developing countries and those with similar interests in the U.S.
We envision a concept paralleling the Trieste International Theoretical Physics Center, but for experimental physics, with several smaller centers relating, perhaps many-on-one, to research centers in the developing countries.
Our efforts are still at the conceptual stage, but we agree with the thrust of Dr. Garfield’s arguments. Our concept would have the research scientists and graduate students spend time at the “mini-Trieste” center the equipment available at ...