for a chemical engineer to find himself doing the work of an instrument engineer, or the mechanical engineer to find himself doing the work of an electrical engineer, or both of them doing the work of a nuclear engineer.

The physicist, the chemist, the physician, and the engineer who once thought that outer space was the exclusive domain of the astronomer now find themselves solving reentry problems for missiles, stirring up rocket fuels, testing the effect of weightlessness on the body, and examining diagrams for space craft. Perhaps the botanist who today is totally concerned with the flora of earth will tomorrow find himself fingering a bit of fungus from Mars.

Location of the Atomic Scientist

In the rapidly changing world, each year finds the scientist increasingly important. He is needed to maintain and improve fast-changing technology, to combat disease, to develop natural and man-made resources, to improve food sources and production, and, in general, to work for the betterment of mankind.

The graduate scientist and the engineer will find jobs waiting and will be able to choose, to some extent, the sort of work they wish to do and where they wish to do it.

It is impossible to list all types of organizations open to science graduates, but it is relatively simple to divide them into general groups.

The United States Government

Scientists are needed in federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Bureau of Standards, the Atomic Energy Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Public Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the Departments of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Positions in these and other federal organizations are open in program administration, basic research, development, and applied research. Numerous positions exist at AEC laboratories that operate under contract—Ames, Argonne, Berkeley, Bettis, Brookhaven, Hanford, Knolls, Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Sandia, and Savannah River, as well as at the Health and Safety Laboratory in New York City.

Private Industry

Unlimited opportunities are found in private industry. Most industries have extensive research and development programs, as well as production activities. In addition to the industries that are engaged primarily in the design and fabrication of nuclear and electronic equipment, hundreds of industries use radioisotopes and radiation in tracing, testing, development, inspection, and quality control.

Opportunities are open to the scientist who wishes to work for himself. He may organize his own company to provide self-employment or he may serve as a private consultant.

Educational Organizations

With the growing demand for scientists comes an increasing need for science teachers—good science teachers—from the elementary through the university graduate-school level. The scientist who enters the teaching profession need not feel that he turns his back on a research career. Thousands of significant investigations and discoveries are made at colleges and universities where science faculty members combine teaching with research.

Although the basic salary scale for the science teacher is not normally as high as that of the industrial scientist, this situation is improving. Moreover, many college faculty members augment their salaries and keep in touch with new developments by acting as part-time consultants to industry and government. A scientific teaching career offers certain advantages: frequently the professor enjoys greater freedom than the industrial scientist in budgeting time and channeling interests, and teachers also experience the satisfaction of developing human minds.

Hospitals

Hospitals and medical research institutions must have highly competent scientific staffs. Besides physicians they need chemists, biochemists, biologists, bacteriologists, and often physicists and veterinarians.

State and Local Governments

Scientists hold important posts in state and local government ranging from the director of a state health department to the chemist in a police laboratory to the radiation safety advisor on a civil-defense commission. As the states assume more and more responsibility for licensing and regulating nuclear and other scientific development, the need for state-employed scientific staff members will grow.

Other Organizations

Scientists are needed also in private research foundations, pharmaceutical and drug houses, international organizations, museums, observatories, weather stations, and thousands of other installations.

Professional Satisfaction

Members of the scientific community are generally happy in their work. A scientist may experience temporary discontent with a particular job, or budget restriction, or management practice, or coworkers, but seldom does he regret being a scientist. He is much more likely to regret that he didn’t study even more science.

Moreover, scientific salaries generally range from above average to excellent, opportunities for advancement are good, and the profession usually enjoys high community respect.

Atomic energy is revolutionizing life today, and future scientific revolutions are beyond imagination. But an atom does not have a brain; it must be manipulated by people. The men and women who explore the world of the atom invariably find that they are exploring a world more exciting than the world in the dreams of Marco Polo or Columbus.

SELECTED READING LIST

FINANCIAL AID

American Foundations and Their Fields. By Wilmer Shields Rich. 7th edition, 1955, 744 pages. American Foundations Information Service, 527 Madison Avenue, New York 3, New York. $35.00.

Blue Book of Awards. Edited by Herbert Brook. 1956, 186 pages. Marquis—Who’s Who, 210 East Ohio Street, Chicago 11, Illinois. $8.00.

College Program in Nuclear Engineering. 1956, 106 pages, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 25 West 45 Street, New York 36, New York.

Credit for College; Student Loan Funds in the United Stales. By W. W. Hill. 1959, 37 pages. The College Life Insurance Company of America, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Education Programs and Facilities in Nuclear Science and Engineering. 1960, 76 pages. Fellowship Office, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Free.

Financial Aid for College Students: Undergraduate. By Theresa Birch Wilkins. 1957, 232 pages. United States Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. $1.00.

How to Finance a College Education. 1960, 10 pages. Funds for Education Inc., 319 Lincoln Street, Manchester, New Hampshire.

How to Look for Scholarships. By J. L. Angel. 2nd edition. 1960, 26 pages. World Trade Academy Press, 50 East 42nd Street, New York 17, New York. $1.25.

Information on Science Scholarships and Student Loans. National Science Foundation. 1960, 9 pages. United States Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. $0.15.

Lovejoy-Jones College Scholarship Guide. By Clarence E. Lovejoy and Theodore S. Jones. 1957, 123 pages. Simon and Schuster, Inc., 630 Fifth Avenue, New York 20, New York. $1.95