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Careers in Atomic Energy

LOYCE J. McILHENNY

TODAY virtually every aspect of science is concerned in some way with the atom.

Physicians use radiation to treat disease. Mechanical engineers design components for nuclear reactors. Electrical engineers convert the energy of the atom into electricity. Botanists use radioactivity to learn more about plants, and zoologists use it to study animals. Chemists investigate compounds with radioisotopes. Physicists and mathematicians work out the intricate interrelations among the tiny particles of the atom. Agronomists use radioactive materials to improve fertilizers and crops, and nutritionists use them to improve animal diets.

A student—YOU—can find your career in atomic energy in any branch of science you choose because “atomics” is not a field unto itself divorced from the rest of the scientific world.

The best preparation for a career in nuclear energy begins with elementary arithmetic. This preparation advances through general science, algebra, biology, chemistry, physics, geometry, and trigonometry. The aspiring scientist will be wise to lay the groundwork for his future long before he reaches college by studying as much mathematics and science as he can handle. Although many a now-successful chemist entered college without knowing how to balance an equation, keen competition today demands that college freshmen have a solid foundation in mathematics and science.

Even in an age of specialization, the interrelation of the sciences has made it necessary for a scientist to have at least a speaking acquaintance with areas outside his own field. A chemist, for example, may find himself involved in biology; the research interests of a biologist may lead him into physics.

Moreover, English-speaking peoples have no monopoly on scientific accomplishment. Proficiency in German and French, at least a reading knowledge, has long been considered desirable and is often required of the serious scientist. In the light of modern developments, a reading knowledge of Russian might well be added to the list, and, as other countries and cultures expand their technologies, familiarity with still other languages may become necessary. (Indeed, a number of scientists who completed doctoral degrees years ago have recently begun to study Russian. This is not surprising since the education of a true scientist never stops with an academic degree, a job appointment, or a significant discovery.)

The most brilliant physicist on earth is of doubtful worth if he can’t communicate his ideas to other people. Thus even more important than a knowledge of foreign languages is a knowledge of one’s own. Almost too late has come the realization that many college graduates in the United States, although proficient in their particular fields, cannot write a correct English sentence. Accurate scientists cannot afford inaccurate communication. Proficient scientists know their own language.

The Scientific Mind

A widespread popular belief exists that the “scientific mind” is a trait that some people inherit and others don’t, like red hair or brown eyes. This is both true and false. Essentially, an innate “scientific mind” does not exist. In the natural course of growing up, however, some people acquire or develop certain characteristics that are most commonly found in successful scientists. These characteristics include curiosity, caution, thoroughness, patience, perseverance, and logical reasoning power. These are general traits, and all can be developed to some degree.

Scientists Are People

With increased national attention focused on scientific activities, some people have developed strange notions about the man who wears a lab coat. Scientists have a high degree of objectivity in the laboratory, but they usually are not different from the rest of society in matters of religion, marriage, parenthood, or politics. Often they don’t adhere to a strict eight-hour day, but neither does a salesman. They may seem unusually dedicated to their profession, but so does a master chef. They rarely are geniuses; sometimes they have superior intelligence; but frequently they have ordinary intelligence. Most are reasonably well balanced, some are eccentric, and a few are downright peculiar. But these same characteristics can describe lawyers, businessmen, and secretaries.

The Time to Begin

If you are seriously planning a career in science and if you are devoting your time to the study of science, mathematics, English, and foreign languages, you are laying the foundation in school right now for your future. You—whether you are a he or a she—can begin now without waiting until the sixth, or ninth, or twelfth grade introduces you to further courses.

Girls have no reason to feel that any branch of science, including nuclear technology and engineering, is strictly a “man’s job.”

Beginning now, you can supplement your studies by exploring science through books. You can go to your school library and to your public library for reading material. Teachers and librarians can help you select material.

The doors of knowledge can open, however, only as rapidly as you can read. The sheer bulk of scientific literature in print today is staggering. Any student who is a slow reader should seek immediate help from his teachers. Slow reading does not prove a slow mind, nor does slow reading improve comprehension. Both these ideas are false, and, if you mistakenly cling to either one, you cheat yourself. As a matter of fact, probably not one person in a million reads as rapidly as he can, and it would behoove even the exceptionally rapid reader to work at improving this basic skill, which is essential to all accomplishment.

Further, if you want to do serious scientific study, ask your teachers to outline science projects that you can undertake after school or during free periods. Many projects that are both educational and fun can be undertaken without costly equipment or a complete laboratory.

Other means of improving scientific understanding and competence outside the classroom include science clubs, state junior academies of science, and participation in science fairs. If these activities do not exist in your area, perhaps you can whip up enough interest among students, teachers, and parents to start them. If not, you can channel your science projects through such organizations as boys’ clubs or Scouts.

The student who is avidly studying science in school and in extra-curricular activities sometimes sets his sights on a summer laboratory job. Although this is certainly worthwhile, often it cannot be realized. Many opportunities exist, however, for valuable summer study and training in the approximately 200 special programs for science students at colleges and universities. These programs are sponsored by the National Science Foundation to provide outstanding high-school students with unusual laboratory and study experiences.

College: Is It a Necessity?

Many intelligent and successful people never attended college, but few of them are in the scientific ranks. If you want a career in science, you must first select a college or university. Many factors, of course, determine this choice.

The first question you have to ask yourself is a rather