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<br />IN THIS ISSUE
<br />
<br />n.. C.entle Art of
<br />Sdenttflc TNJpullng
<br />
<br />page 2'
<br />
<br />GSARecycles........,........,.ll
<br />DlIdngubhed ServIa: Award, .. ....32
<br />GSAForum... .................32
<br />WuhlngtonReport............. .33
<br />~ totountaln-ScMh-Centtal
<br />SectIont.4eetlng..............15
<br />CSA Ed1,lGltlo'n.1 Coordlnltor . . . , . . 3S
<br />SAGERernartu..................3.
<br />GSAfUpd.tt ..................31
<br />Ocean Drilling Program Schedule. ..39
<br />Men)OrIII Prep1nb............ ..39
<br />In MetnOrl.m ..................39
<br />800kRe'llews ................. ."0
<br />CeoVent\lres 1991.............. .042
<br />DNAG News................_. .041
<br />MetClngsCaJend.r ,..,..........404
<br />CSAlllleetlngS....................,
<br />luIrrM1.ndG~Contentl......"'6
<br />CIauIflecb.....................147
<br />
<br />GSA TODAY
<br />Vol. ',No.2
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<br />--
<br />""
<br />
<br />GSA TODAY (lSSNUW.SI7J)lJflIMNI
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<br />.......0010)01..140.
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<br />SUBSCRIPTIONS.. 1"1 ~,..,
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<br />~ hill ---...- Jrani..GSA RII
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<br />
<br />-..
<br />II
<br />
<br />vtsIlors from. othel p.lIrts o( Klence
<br />who set Intefeted In our own
<br />dbclpllnes. So lei w comlder the
<br />expulena 01 crossinI dlJclpUne
<br />boundarkSlnsdence.
<br />
<br />BARRIERS TO CROSSING
<br />DISCIPLINE BOUNDARIES
<br />It ie'eIIlS to me that there Ire
<br />KVaIJ barrkn to aoulnl dLsdpllne
<br />boundlrta.lOme minor Ind othen
<br />more dlfllcull. In prlCtlce. howevel,
<br />ItlsqulteposslblelObrtdpthest
<br />blrrlen, Ind dolnJ 10 brtfllS IfUt
<br />monrds, both penonallnd sdentlfic.
<br />
<br />Academic
<br />Departmcatal Structure
<br />Ant o( III, InterdlsdplllUlry work
<br />Is hindered by the deplrtmental strvc-
<br />twe of the universities. In ICIdem1a, at
<br />Iun, we live our lives surrounder;1 by
<br />people In the Ame amerl1 Reid. Yet
<br />thlJ is Iuply Imltter 01 hlblt. AI
<br />Berkeley, and 1 am lure elltWhere.
<br />there are many opportunities, both
<br />Iormaland Infol'mll, (or movlnl out
<br />of the confine of one's deplrtment;
<br />this Is no excusel
<br />
<br />DlsdpllDary Stnlctlll't of
<br />Fuadla, Apades
<br />A second obvious problem Is thlt
<br />lnltldbdpl.lrwy rtSUlch tends 10 flU
<br />Into the aacb between propamllt
<br />fundlrll8FRda II.Ia! NSF. Perhaps
<br />then: oupt to be I spedll dtvlslon It
<br />NSF, or a Mplrate qency, limed It
<br />tundln8' maYUld: InterdlSdpllMry
<br />proposlls. Memwhlle. IS we Wilt tor
<br />this Utopian drum to come tNe, It Is
<br />worth notlrll that Interdlsdpllnlry
<br />raarch topla Irt more likely to
<br />Interest prtYlce donors Ind the lener.
<br />IIIsts who run private foundltlonl
<br />than Ire the narrowly foaued projects
<br />that IPpeal to specllllsts.
<br />
<br />AsyJDmetry la Tralala, Between
<br />Primary aad Sccoadary Sdeaea
<br />Tumlns to the mort subtle
<br />problems that ralM barriers 10 Iftw.
<br />dlJdpllnary sdence. ow third problem
<br />concerns the difference between whit
<br />we mllht ClII prtmlry Ind MCOndlry
<br />sciences. M. students we Ire III trllned
<br />In the prtmlry or blllc sciences---
<br />mlthemltla. physics, Ind chemlltry.
<br />HoweYeI', the secondlry sciences-
<br />pololY, plleonlOlolY, blolol)'-I.rt
<br />ltudled Ilm0st exdwlvely by prlc,
<br />tlttonen of those menees. Almon III
<br />leoloSlJts have I baJlc understJ.ndlng
<br />or chernlsl:l)', buflew chemists know
<br />anything It IlIlbout aeolol)'. this
<br />puts I one-WlY Yllve In the com.
<br />munlCltlonl systmI, and IS you will
<br />see. &cod comrnunlCltlons Irt the
<br />prtme consldl!:n.tlon and the prime
<br />d1r1lculty In d0111l iood Interdlsdplll1l:ry
<br />science. leCIuse 01 the lSymmetry In
<br />trllnln& I somewhll harder burden
<br />(ails on people from the basic sciences,
<br />but lR)'OIle w1shJnl to 00$1 dlsd-
<br />pUnary boundaries will have to lelm-
<br />01 wW hive the pleasure of learning-
<br />someone elsCl science.
<br />
<br />Vuyin& Caltures and TndJtJoD.l
<br />1D. DIffereD. t SdeD.CC5
<br />The founh problem concenu the
<br />different cultures Ind tndltlonl of the
<br />different sciences. Becaule or our dif-
<br />ferent Nbfect mllter, sdentlJts In
<br />various disciplines mUlt work In dlf.
<br />(erent Wlys. Chemists Ind physicists
<br />wolk In controlled Ilboratory seUII1lI.
<br />!solltll\( the phenomenon they wish
<br />to ltudy, Ind Clrrylng out elqlnllnd
<br />repeatable experlmenlS. GeoloSIStl
<br />and plleontologlstslll! restricted to
<br />ltudytnl whit nature hIS preserved
<br />tor u~r, somedmes. whit Ihe
<br />
<br />hlghwlY department has chosen to u.
<br />C~vlte. and hal not chosen 10 pave oYer.
<br />O\Ir dl((er\na ulClltlonllO back
<br />centurtes Ind Ire pICked up Ind
<br />Internlllzed by each 01 UIII students.
<br />Olemlsts honor Mille Curte IRd
<br />Mendeleer. ph)"lcIstJ honor Newton,
<br />Einstein, 1M Fermi; b10qlsts honor
<br />Wallace and OiIl'Win. As a leolOSbl, I
<br />counl G. If.- Gilbert. Alfrtd Wq:ener,
<br />Ind Harry Haslmonl my heros.
<br />A1thouah we II't IlIsclentlJts. we hive
<br />had to develop quite dltfemlt Wlys of
<br />dolnJ sdence. Ind when people WIth
<br />Ihese different blcJ,;poundl Join to-
<br />pther 10 work on _ common problem
<br />'there Illnevltlbly mlWnderstlndlnlll
<br />first, Ind friction. Howr.-er, our upe.
<br />rienee Is that these problems do not
<br />lut 10nJ when people let: toBdhel to
<br />work on In 1n1llaulnslnterellJdpllnary
<br />problem.
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />n..1Cllllcdanlc..r,.lIc:iu111l*.WhkI......
<br />_111................"-0..-
<br />_ ~....... ~lhI dI&InCIt....
<br />,...,...r.:..........lhIllpfMrer-
<br />~kI\III_~wlltl...l/T.....
<br />dIrJ.....w...,"'.._. n.._.......
<br />_".~...-..alhllbrwght
<br />....>>c.MIt(INI....~.or"blg
<br />-.....-,.
<br />
<br />Truy -... condn.Itd (rom p. 29
<br />
<br />the rnau extinction 65 m,y, 110, dRw
<br />In 10 many people rrom so mlny otha
<br />ftelds11 think It II beawe the impact
<br />or I 10 kin extraterresbUl body on
<br />Eut:h Is such In unusual U1d extreme
<br />tftRt that It IecI to unexplored parts of
<br />other fields, not 10 their centnl. well.
<br />known bodIa at information. Suppose
<br />one had FfII: to I chemist or phytld:rt
<br />II1d ISked for help In undentand1rll
<br />some upect: 01 the ICJT boundary. If
<br />that chemist or physicist hid been Ible
<br />to say, -Well. why don't you lust look
<br />In the Index of any e1ementlry ta:t-
<br />book?,- there would hlvt been little
<br />Incendve tor that person to loin In the
<br />laurch.
<br />HowtYU, this ~traordlnlry event
<br />hailed to I\I'W kinds of thlnklnJ In., , .
<br />every bl'lnch 01 Klence It has muched.
<br />In blololY, It required thlnkln& .bout
<br />non-Duwl.nlln mechlnisnu o( eYO-
<br />ludon. In plOl)', It torced I m'VIIUI'
<br />tlon or Ihe centnl polOSlal doctrtne
<br />0( -unlfonnltarllnlsm- or .paduallsm,.
<br />which (or 1SO years had dIscourqed
<br />lilY thlnldna: lbout atutrophlc events.
<br />In chemllby, It klcused on Irtdlum,.
<br />In Ilmost comically obscure element"
<br />Ind aated I demlnd tor very rul
<br />II1Ilydcal Clpabllltles II the plrts-per-
<br />trillion ItvI!l. And new problems hive
<br />been opened up In ecclolY, pphysla,
<br />utroph)"la, Ind Itmospheric Idence.
<br />_I well.
<br />Impact mearch hll thulled to
<br />(orefront l'fOlk In I Ylrlety or different
<br />sciences.. But proareu In worldna: out
<br />the Impllcadons (or each sclenCll! has
<br />dl!pended on keeplnsln touch with
<br />what Is hlppenlnJ In elch or the other
<br />Idenm. For example. think lbout
<br />IStrophysldsts, explodnl the Idea thlt
<br />I hypothetlCII companion ltar to the
<br />Sun (DIvis et II., 1914; Whitmire Ind
<br />JlCkson. 1914) mlSht Clwe: periodic
<br />Impacts Ind mw extlnctlonl on Elrth
<br />by II'IYltltkmllly dlsrupUna; the Oort
<br />comet cloud o( the outer Solar System
<br />lilt comes dOli! to the Sun ~ry 2S
<br />to 30 m.y. Calculltlonlll to whether
<br />IUch I wide biniI)' stir system would
<br />be st:lblt (Hut, 1984) depend on the
<br />lltallntormltlon (rom poiOJ)' Ind
<br />paleontoloay beartnJ on the tlmlnl of
<br />Impacts Ind extinctions: Ire Impacts
<br />periodic or lpertodlc (Raup Ind
<br />Sl!pkolkl, 1984, 1986j Grteve et al.,
<br />1985jShoemlkerlnd Wolte,1986;
<br />Blbl, 199O)?lf they Ire pe.lodIC, whll
<br />II the time Interval between them?
<br />The whole field o( reselrch on
<br />Implct alses hIS been built on Inter.
<br />dlldpllnary research, Ind trelplSSlns
<br />on other people'l fields hIS become I
<br />pr1v\leje Ind a plelSure ror those of
<br />ullnvolved In It, II hiS welcoming
<br />
<br />The Spectrum. or Hierarchy
<br />of Sdea.ca:
<br />One 01 the mlsundentllndlnp
<br />emerpllS _look at Ihe fifth p.o.
<br />blem, which conCll!n1S the hlmrchy,
<br />or pecldns: order, 01 the Idences. The
<br />sdentlftc peddnI order Ippun to
<br />refiectthepre5tlfto(thevarloul
<br />dlsdpllnes. Why does thb hleRlrchy
<br />exist? fm Ll!&nlna: IOWlreI the view that
<br />the hlJhtr prtSt!le dlsdpllntlllrt Ible
<br />to fonnulatl!: aenenlllws thlt require
<br />COIlllderlble mathanaUCII sophIS-
<br />tication to undmtand. wherus the
<br />lower plt:ltlp cllsclpUnes deal with
<br />sublect mittel o( pat complulty,
<br />which must be descrtbecllRd daulfled
<br />bdore It an be understood. In thlJ
<br />view, the hlen.rchy of sdenca hIS
<br />nothlnl to do willi. the relative merttl
<br />01 the dlftertnt sdencu, butlllnltead
<br />I (unctkm 01 the kind o( lublect
<br />mittel' with which they'delL If we
<br />cIIop the 100lIed terms like .hlel'lrchy.
<br />.nd -peckll1l order- Ind simply
<br />urana:e the scknCeIln Ilpectrum
<br />(rom mlthemltlally sophlldClIed It
<br />one end to descriptively complex It
<br />the other, we would probably not
<br />dlrrer too mIlCh In IsslantnJ I se-
<br />quence somethlrllllke the (Ollowtns:
<br />mlthemltla, physia, chemlltry,
<br />Istronomy, poIoiy, paleon~,
<br />_.I*)'d>oIaor.-",
<br />Let us bla one Itnmd of Imp.llct-
<br />extinction mtJrdllCroll the lpec-
<br />trum o( sclencn and watch Ihe
<br />complUlty Inaeue. Nudl!lr chemlltS
<br />like Fl'lnk Aura, Helen Michel, Ind
<br />Carl Onh we techniques from physla
<br />ro do neutron Ictlvatlon IMlysis (or
<br />elements like Irtdlum. They mel.sun
<br />the neutron nux thlt Irradlltes their
<br />Simple, Ind II the I'Idloactlvtty dea)"
<br />they meuure the eneII)' and rtIeale
<br />time of de-adt:ltlon Ilmml rays.
<br />They end up with. rdllble vlllM! and
<br />uncertainty for the concentIation or
<br />Irtdlum In I Simple, -say 37.9:t2.3
<br />(1 SO) Ie 1o-u Ilr/l whole rock.
<br />SbllSpphen like: SancIro Montanari
<br />Ind Jln Smll. ltudylns In IT prome
<br />IcrOSS the KIT boundlry, mUlt con.
<br />sider las qUIRtlflable uncertainties, In.
<br />c1udlnlledlmentlry reworldR& bu..
<br />lowlnl by bottem-dwelllnl orpnlsms,
<br />Ind chemlCII mnoblllutlon IS they
<br />dmrmlne whelher the II WIS depos.
<br />Ited Instlntlneously,
<br />Plleontoloststs like Genl Keller,
<br />Hans Thlenteln and Pfler Wlrd,
<br />tryinl to decide whether the Ir Input
<br />colndded In time with I mISs extlnc.
<br />tlon, mUJt dedde how to define I naSi
<br />extlnctlon-they hlvt to choose the
<br />tlXonomlc level to UII! Ind whelher to
<br />focus on tlxa 100t or on biomass de-
<br />structlon-and then they must consIder
<br />whether hlltuses and foull reworldns
<br />
<br />Trespas:slo, contfnued on p. 3 J
<br />
<br />30
<br />
<br />GSA TODAY, February 1991
<br />
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