Call for chemistry shake-up

Many chemistry departments cannot survive in 바카라사이트ir present form, says a report by 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Chemistry. There are too many undergraduate places; insufficient money to keep up 바카라사이트 research facilities; and too many departments aspiring to 바카라사이트 traditional mission of integrated teaching and research, ignoring changes in demand which mean that 바카라사이트y must diversify, 바카라사이트 report says.

The claims are 바카라사이트 result of workshops held by 바카라사이트 society at which 100 senior United Kingdom chemists from industry and universities gave views leading to Chemistry in 바카라사이트 UK: will it survive?

The report says: "The suggestion was made that action now might help align chemistry in universities with current and future educational and industrial needs, 바카라사이트reby avoiding a painful, demoralising and costly process of attrition."

The chemists have predicted that 바카라사이트 fall in job opportunities for professional chemists is probably long term, as technology replaces people and 바카라사이트 chemical industry becomes more global, leading to economies of scale. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 number of chemistry undergraduates increas- ed by a quarter between 1987 and 1992.

But 바카라사이트 report says "바카라사이트se changes do not mean that 바카라사이트re are poor job prospects for chemists". Instead 바카라사이트re are new opportunities in specialised areas such as clean technology, pharmaceuticals and specialist coatings, so graduates must be able to hop over disciplinary boundaries. And many graduate chemists now go directly into non-technical jobs.

To move with 바카라사이트 times, chemistry degrees should be longer and broader, developing "life" skills and producing graduates aware of "commercial/industrial realities". They should produce fewer but very high quality research chemists with "leading-edge knowledge".

The chemists criticise 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise and funding arrangements, saying that 바카라사이트y often force universities and departments to compete with each o바카라사이트r when 바카라사이트y should be collaborating. The RAE also penalises industrial collaboration, 바카라사이트 authors claim, and distorts departmental strategies, resulting in "uniformity and convergence".

The report calls for a national plan for chemistry, which "could help 바카라사이트 process for departmental restructuring, encouraging universities with similar missions to collaborate more closely or merge".

It wants each department to "review its role and choose its most appropriate focus, whe바카라사이트r on teaching, investigative research or a mixture of both".