加州理工院长98任职演说.doc

加州理工院长98任职演说 InauguralAddre Dr.DavidBaltimore March9,1998 Representativesofacademia,electedofficials,ChairmanMooreandothermembersoftheBoardofTrustees,formerPresidentsofCaltech,alumni,Aociates,membersofthefaculty,students,staff-includingalloftheJetPropulsionLaboratorypersoelattendingelectronically-formertraineesfrommyover30yearsinresearch,friendsandmembersofthisgreatmunity,Ithankyouallsomuchforbeingheretoday. Universitiesareenduringititutio.Theygotogreateffortstomarkthetraitiooftheirleadershipwiththehonoredandhistoricritualofaninauguration.Butthetruthisthattheychangeslowly,andnewchiefadministratorsdonotalterthatmeasuredpace.Thus,thisoverwhelmingevent,markingsuchadeepchangeinmylife,marksbutaslightdeflectionintheestablishedtrajectoryofthisgreatititution.MydeepestgoalaspresidentistomaintaintheeenceofCaltechwhilehelpingitadapttoachangingworld. IwanttobeginthisaddrebythankingallofthemembersoftheCaltechmunityforthewarmwelethatAliceandIhavereceived.YouhavehelpedapairofinveterateEasternersbeemembersoftwouniquesocieties,thesocietyofCaltechandthesocietyofPasadena.Thesearehistoriommunitieswithdeepandwonderfulvalues,andwearesogladtohavejoinedthem. Asanoutsiderhere,IveentthelastfivemonthslearningasmuchasIcanaboutCaltech.IwantedtoprehendtheititutionwellenoughtobeabletohelpitsolvetheinevitableproblemsthatIknowwillarise.Butmoreimportantly,IwantedtodevelopaperectiveonCaltechthatwouldallowmetochoosethekeyelementsonwhichtoworkwiththefaculty-toestablishpriorities. WhatIfoundisamostremarkableititution.Thedepthofscholarship,therigoroftraining,themitmenttothehighestidealsofpersonalbehaviormakeCaltechaveryecialplace.Itmanagestocoveranextraordinaryrangeofscientificandtechnicalareaswithaminimalfaculty.Ithasprovidedsomanynewexcitementsfororainedinbiologythatithasbeenacontinualfeastforme,andIknowtha AsIhavegatheredknowledgeaboutCaltech,questiohaveourredtomewhoseawerscanprovideperectiveforsettingpriorities.ThatisthepositionIminnow-manyquestio,fewawers.Thus,IthoughtIwouldframethisaddrearoundthequestio.Itisanopeninvitationtothemanycotituenciesonthecampustoparticipateinadialogue-theBoardofTrustees,faculty,administrators,students,staff,alumni,andthevariousfriendsofCaltechwhoprovidesuort.Thus,Iwillinthistalkposeanumberofquestio,explainwhyIraisethem,anddrawoutsomeoftheirimplicatio. ThefirstofmyquestioiswhetherCaltechistrulyimmunefromthewindsblowingthroughAmericanacademiclife.Iraisethisbecausethelastdecadehasbeenastormyoneforacademia,withmanyquestioningtheverybasisofscholarshipinboththehumanitiesandthesciences.Thequestionmightbewhetherbyfocusingonscienceandtechnology,Caltechhewstoeternaltruths,orwhethertheself-criticismthattheintellectualworldhasembracedinthelastdecadeshasilledoverintoourbastionofrationality.TheawerIsuectmostwouldgivehereisthatwhiletheculturewarsandthesciencewarshavebeenfuriouslyengagedonthestreetsofBerkeley,NewHaven,Cambridge,andParis,inPasadenatheprogreofsciencecontinuesquietlyandunabated.Notthatwedontreflectonouractivitiesorevenhaveourparticipantsinthewarwehaveallofthat.Itsjustthatwehaveaolutesinwhichwebelieve.Wehaveaolutezeroonthetemperaturescale,weknowthatnothingexceedstheeedoflight. Itisinterestingtocontemplatewhatwouldhaenifourastronomersmeasuredaredshiftindicatingthatagalaxywasrecedingfromusfasterthantheeedoflight.Orifwesomehowrecordedatemperatureofaolutezero,ormadeaperpetualmotionmachine.Inthesesituatio,theexperimentwouldreceivethedeepestscrutinyandonlyintheunlikelycasethatitsurvivedwouldtheoryeintoquestion.Remembercoldfusion.Butwearewillingtoquestionouraolutes.Ouraolutesarenotsoaolute-theyawaitanexperimentthatcontradictsthem.Theyaretentativeaolutes,andwearefortablewiththem,needingnodailyreminderofthethreatthateachexperimentposestoourfort.Thatisthecultureofscience,anditisaecialculturethatwelivewith,weteach,andwebelieveinalmostasareligion.Itisaculturethatisinpreheibletothosewhohavenotmanipulatedtheconceptsofscience.Itiulatesusfrommanyoftheself-doubtsofthelargerintellectualworldandallowsustomoveforward. However,weshouldnotbetooplacent.Majorchangesarecoursingthroughacademia.Theyarenottheintellectualchallengesfromwhichourcultureimmunizesutheyaretechnologicdevelopmentsandanincreasinglymarket-drivenaroachtoeducation.Wearealreadyreondingtothesenewpreures,incorporatingtechnologyandlookingcarefullyatourcostsandprice.Weareinafavorablepositioneconomicallybecauseofourrelativelylowdependenceontuition.Infact,wearealreadyratedthebestbuyineducation.Furthermore,wehaveaecialproduct,andrightnowtheworldwantstobuyit-alicatioareupsome20againthisyear.Theworldrealizeshowwellweprepareyoungpeopletobescientistsandengineers-thehonorcodeandthesmallnumberofstudentsmakeslearningasharedexperienceofgreatinteity,whileourlaboratoriesprovidethehands-onexperiencethatistheeenceofscience.However,wecaotbeplacent;weneedtorethinkourvaluesandourvaluecontinuallyinthecontextofotheroortunitiesavailabletostudentsandothermodesofeducation. Letmeturnfromanatractquestiontoaconcreteone.IsCaltechmakingasufficientcontributiontotheeconomiclifeofAmericaandeeciallyofPasadena?Yearsago,CaltechwasthescientificandtechnologicengihatdrovethedevelopmentoftheaeronauticsindustryinSouthernCalifornia.ThereismuchnewenergyinCaltechthatcouldrepeatthissue.TheoortunitylevelisparticularlyhighatJPL,whereneceitybreedsinventiononamonumentalscale.Wehavebeguntoreleaseourenergyofiovationtobenefitthelocalmunityandthecountry,butthereismuchmorewecoulddo.Whathaenedinaeronauticscouldhaenagaininchemistry,biology,putersoftware,electronics,andotherfields,ifweprovidetherightcatalysis.WhyhaveStanfordandMITandevenUCSDbeeenginesofeconomicgrowthandCaltech,surelyasfecund,livesinacitywithminimalhigh-techinfluence?ThepoliticsofPasadenaarecertainlyaniue,butcouldntCaltechhavemoreimpactifitmitteditselftothisgoal? AnotherofmyquestioisoneIhaveraisedpubliclyalready,Areweactivelyenoughengagedinpromotingdiversityonthecampus?Iphrasethisasaquestion,butIhavemadeitplainthatIpersonallybelievethatacampusthatbettermirrorsthedemographyofAmericaisdesirable. Increaseddiversityhasthreebenefits.First,itbringstheparticularvaluesofaCaltecheducationtoapartoftheAmericanpublicthattoorarelyhassuchanadvantage.Second,itauresthatotherstudentsatCaltechdevelopanareciationofthevarietyofculturesthatmakeupAmerica,betterpreparingthemforanactiveroleinAmericanlife.Third,througheducatingawidermixofstudents,wecontributetothestabilityandeffectiveneofourdemocraticsociety.IwouldremindyouthatAfricanAmerica,Latinos,andAmericanIndiaaountforohirdofthechildrenborninAmericatoday.Meanwhile,thereisanongoingbacklashagaitaffirmativeactionthatisreadingthroughthenation.Minoritygraduatesinengineeringhaveincreasedfromafewhundredperyearintheearly70sto6,000peryeartoday.Thatsagreatachievement,butitisstillfarfromparity,andimprovementwillrequirecontinuedefforts. AnotheraectofthequestionofdiversityistheslowincreaseinthefractionofwomenatCaltech.Whatdoweneedtodotoaeleratethattrend?Themandateisthere:inthestudentlifesurvey,bothmenandwomenatCaltechwantedahigherfractionofwomenstudentsoncampus. Caltechhasforyearsrecognizedtheneedtofocusoniuesofdiversityandhasmadegreatstrides.However,itisanunfinishedagenda,andadifficultone-onlythoughtfulanalysisandmittedeffortonthepartoftheentirecampuswillmakeithaen.Caltechssmallstudentbodymeathattuitionisasmallpartofourtotaline.Furthermore,wealreadygivefinancialaidtosome70percentofourstudents.Therefore,weareinaparticularlygoodpositiontouseourfinancialresourcestoshapeourstudentbody.Also,weneedtorememberthatfinancialmattersareonlyapartoftheeduation:wealsomustaskourselveswhetherthecampusisweling,stimulatingandsuortivetoadiversestudentbody. InpaingIreferredtoCaltechasasmallschool,andthatiscertainlytheself-imageofthiscampus.However,interestingthingsemergewhenyouask,InwhatseeisCaltechasmallschool? Therearemanymantrasecifictothiscampusbutnoneisaspervasiveasthestatement,Caltechisasmallschoolandwantstostaysmall.Fromthatshorttheoremmanycorollariesaredrawn.Itcanbeeanargumentfornottakingnewdirectio,fornothiringmorefaculty,fornotaddingtothestudentbody,forlivingwithale-than-criticalmaoftalentinmanyareasofscienceandengineering.Allofthistomaintainthewonderfulandveryrealvaluesofsmallne-collegiality,encouragementofinterdisciplinaryefforts,focusofactivities,erit.However,inreality,Caltechisactuallysmallonlyinitsnumbersofstudentsandfaculty.IfyoupareCaltechtootherresearch-inteiveschools,ithasthehighestratioofacetofacultyorfederalsuorttofacultyorprobablyanyothermeasureoftheamountofsciencedoneperfacultymember.Becauseofthehugeoff-campusfacilitiesrunbyCaltech,theenormousplantonthecampus,themanytalentedmembersofthestaffwhoarewhollyinvolvedinresearch,andthepostdoctoralfellows,Caltechisalotbiggerthanitmightseem.Anditisgrowing.UnderTomEverhart,therewereeightbuildingsputupthatincreasedthesquarefootageoncampusby20percent,whilethebudgetincreasedbyareal32percent.Duringthesametime,thefacultyincreasedby6percent,butactuallyitwasstillatalowerlevelthanatanearlierpeak.AnotheraectofCaltechssizeisJPL.IthasabudgetalmostfourtimesthatofCaltechandisgrowing. Caltechisnotreallysmall,itisjustbalanceddifferentlyfromotherschools.Wekeepourfacultyandundergraduatestudentbodysmallandreapthatharvest.Butmeanwhileweallowtheratioofouractivitiestoourfacultytogrowcontinually.Ithinkweneedtoquestionourselvesabouttheimplicatioofthisgrowth.Arewemaintainingsufficientcontroloverourgrowth?Isitaffectingthelifeofthecampus?Howcanwesafeguardthevaluesofsmallne? Letmeturntothedirectionofthestudents.HereIhavewondered,DoesCaltechsufficientlydevelopthoseaectsofthelivesofits20-year-oldundergraduatesthatwillallowthemtobeethoughtful,balanced,productivemembersofsociety?ItisaquestionthatIaskasIvisittheHousesandmeetwithstudentleaders.ItisaquestionthatIhearfromalumni,manyofwhomseemtofeelthattheyenduredtheirundergraduatedaysratherthanenjoyingthem.Itisadeepquestionaboutvaluesystems.EachCaltechprofeorfeelsthathisorherareaofteachingiscriticallyimportanttothedevelopmentofstudentsandthatleavingoutanyofthegloryofthefieldisacrime.Forthestudentsitbeesalifeoftryingtokeepupacademicallywithlittletimeforpersonaldevelopment.Weencourageorts,andhavegreatfacilities.Butwedolethanotherschools,evensmallones,toencouragethecreativeartsasextracurricularactivities. TheCaltecheducationconcentratesontheproductsofrationalthought.Weskimpontheotheraectsofsociety,oneslikeartandliteraturewheretheemotionalandpersonalcontentishigher.Wemightseemtooverlookthoseelements,butthatsnotreallythemeagewearesending,becausethatsnotthefacultyIhaveetoknow.Wearecollectorsofart,devoteesofmusic,readersofliterature.ManyofuscoultoutsideCaltechandunderstandthemultiplestraithatcontributetomodernlife.Maybewecoulddomoretobringthatunderstandingtoourstudents.Itisnotaniueofteachingmoreartorliterature.Myexperiencehasbeenthatyoudonotlearnabouttheroleofartorliteratureinclaesbecausetheclaroomisintriicallyananalyticframework-youlearnhowtolookatart,howtolistentomusic,howtounderstandthestructureandhistoryofliterature.Buttherealreasonforthearts,asareflectionoftheplexityoflifewithitsintricatemixtureofrationality,paion,andhistory,isnottaughtbutratherlearnedbyexperienceintheworld-oftenthroughinteeinteractiowithothers.MighttheCaltechundergraduateexperience,aswonderfulasitis,improvewithmoretimeandoortunityforthestudentstogrowashumanbeings?Ineedtohearmorefromthevariouscotituenciesonthecampusaboutthisiue.Thealumnicanbeparticularlyhelpfulhere. TurningtotheresearchsideofCaltech,Ihaveasked,Howcanwejustifyouractivitiesinaworldthatisbeingincreasinglymaterialistic?Caltechisagreatundergraduatecollegeandasuperbgraduateschool,butthelargestpartofitsactivitiesisfocusedonresearch.Andeventhoughwehaveanengineeringandaliedsciencedivision,mostoftheresearchisatthemostbasicendoftheectrum.Ourbigitruments,likePalomar,KeckandLIGO,areallattemptstoawerverybasicquestio,liketheageoftheuniverseoritsverynature.JPLismorepracticallyorientedtowardsthemechanicsofexploringace,butitsjustificationisacescience,aweringquestiolikewhetherlifeeverevolvedindependentlyofthatonearth.Afewyearsago,purescienceseemedunderverystrongattack,andthecancellationoftheSuperconductingSupercolliderseemedtheproofthatAmericawasnolongerwillingtosuortbasicscience.Remarkably,thetoneofWashingtonhaschangedrecently,andcongremenarevyingforwhocanpromisemoretotheNationalScienceFoundation,theNationalItitutesofHealth,andotheragencies.AlthoughtheoverallNASAbudgetisbeingreduced,acescienceremaistrong.Americahascertainlybeemorematerialistic:morestudentsaregoingintobusine,admiiontolawschoolsisverypetitive,andscienceandevenengineeringarenotdrawinginterestamongyoungAmericathewaytheydidinthedecadesfollowingWorldWarII.However,aswebeearicherandmorepowerfulnation,theimportanceofscienceasthedriverofmerceandthegeneratorofgoodhealthhasbeeincreasinglyevident,andthusscienceisreceivingurecedentedsuort. Whiletakingadvantageofthegovernmentsnewlyfoundinterestinscience,weneedtorememberandtoreaertthevaluesthathavedrivenmostofusintoscience.Itistherushofdiscovery,theexcitementofbeingthefirsttouncoveranewsecretofnature,thesatisfactionofseeingmeyplexityresolveintoelegantsimplicitythatdrivesmostoftheresearchactivityonthiscampus.Luckily,basicsciencefeedstheneedsofindustry,justifyingitssuort.Butitservesahigherfunction,thatofdemystifyingtheworld,providinganorderlyunderstandingofnaturalprocees.WhenTimemagazinefeaturesascientificstoryonitscover,itsnewtandsalessoar.Scienceservestheneedofpeopletounderstandtheworldaroundthem,andthatunderstandingisoneofourfinestproducts. Althoughscienceisdoingwellnowandhasgreatpublicsuort,therearemajoriuestobefaced.Congremencansuortsciencetodaybecauseoftheextraordinarystrengthoftheeconomyandthepoibilityofawindfallfromthetobaoindustry.Thatcouldbeephemeral.Also,totakeadvantageoftheavailablefederalfunds,weneedtomakemajorinvestmentsinthecampusinace,facilities,andpeople.Thus,ourdependenceonprivatephilanthropyremaiasgreatasever.WeareluckythatCaltechhassomanyfinefriendswhoareasmittedasthefacultytoCaltechsgreatne. IhavesaidalotaboutwhatIhavelearnedaboutCaltech,butlittleaboutmyself.Letmeendonamorepersonalnote.Ideeplybelieveinthepower,beauty,andfortthatesfromarationaloutlookontheworld.Inmyyoungeryears,Ihankeredafteraworldinwhichrationalitywouldconqueremotionandbringpeace.Itwasreinforcedinmyearlyschooling-rememberthatIwasinschoolinthepost-WorldWarIIera,whenthecountrywasstillbaskinginthegloryofhavingdefeatedtheirrationalityoftheNazisandwhenthescienceandtechnologythathadwonthewarforuswereseenasthekeytothefuture.EventhephilosophythatthenoosedAmericas,theCommunistphilosophy,seemedtoefromarationalanalysisofsocietyandseemedahumanealtern