(This post will consist of a few lengthy emails that I've sent to and from the author of the article mentioned above, and a few emails I sent to another physicist to get another perspective.)
Coincidentally, I saw this article a month or so ago, and decided to email him about some concerns I had with it.
This is the email that I sent him (forgive me of my stupidity):
I'm not one for formal emails, so I apologize ahead of time if the format of this offends you. Basically, I'm 16 years old, a citizen of the United States (as apparent by the end of my email. Did you know that because the U.S. created the internet, and along with it email, we're the only country that doesn't have to put what country we're from at the end of our email addresses?), and I read the article which I referred to in the subject of this email. As you can imagine, it didn't exactly pop the bubble that is my growing curiosity in science, and more specifically physics, but for now it has definitely stopped any more air from being pumped into it. Now, in this brief (article? paper?) that you wrote, you weren't discouraging brilliant young minds to completely neglect science, but to just not go as far into the education system as they may have previously wanted.
I'm not going to question you, seeing as how you're a professor of Physics, and I'm a high school student taking AP Physics (had to make myself sound smart somehow), but aren't you essentially asking for the smartest scientific minds to just shrug off becoming a legitimate scientist with a PhD and the ability to conduct experiments and make scientific advancements, to just become computer engineers, doctors, and lawyers, which would leave the less intelligent students to fill up those jobs in the science community as PhD's? I feel like addressing the problem at its core, which is the flaw in the education system or even the scientific community and grant system, would be a far more beneficial use of time and energy as opposed to telling people to just quit becoming scientists.
I'm looking for reassurance that, if by some amazing odds, I ever had the opportunity to pursue a career in physics, should I even try? Do you think this whole situation will ever be resolved, and if so, by the time that I would be applying somewhere for my doctorate? I just don't want for science to become obsolete.
I'm losing track of where I was exactly trying to go with this email, I just mainly want some answers. I constantly see videos of scientists wanting for a scientifically literate public, but should the public just stick with being literate, and leave science to the geniuses in an attempt to narrow down the field, and potentially create better results if only the best of the best of humanity was working together?
If you took the time to read this, thank you. I thank you even more ahead of time (much like I apologized ahead of time for the format of this email) if you take the time to respond.
- A Science Lover (can't trust the internet these days, so my name stays hidden)
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This is his response:
Unfortunately, the career problem has already driven most of the truly
talented out of science. Talent and hard work do not guarantee success
in science (it is not a meritocracy); luck and falling into a community
that supports its members count as least as much. Most decisions
(funding, hiring) are made by average members of the community, who
are mostly not extraordinarily talented, and who are in little hurry
to acnowledge merit in their competitors (this begins after graduate
school; people want talented students, but award funding to their
friends).
People are entitled to consider their own happiness and personal lives.
Strength in pure science does not guarantee a country success, either;
consider the UK, for example.
J. Katz
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I responded again thanking him for the response, and stating how it's a shame that this is even an issue.
Obviously, this is discouraging to somebody who wanted to pursue a career in Physics, so I found another physicist (astrophysicist and professor at Wyoming) who was willing to respond to my concerns. I won't be showing the whole email, because some of my questions were irrelevant to this topic. Here is an edited version of what I sent to him:
... In addition to you hopefully responding to that, I would also like to know your thoughts on the current position that science is in, in regards to the bias in choosing graduate students for PhD's. I recently read an article by Dr. Jonathon Katz, a professor of Physics, about the deteriorating situation in science and how, at this point, those who are smart enough to know better are just stopping at a Masters in Physics or any other branch in science, and are settling for the safer jobs as engineers or computer programmers etc. His main complaint was that this is leaving either ignorant (I'm using that term lightly) foreigners to take the PhD's, along with unaware, less intelligent Americans filling up those spots. His article was very depressing to somebody like me who is aspiring to find a career in this field, so I emailed him about it, but he was still set firm on the notion that the field in general isn't what it used to be, and that those of mediocre intelligence are gaining ground in the field by having the power to grant grants (pun intended?), and that the problem of finding careers is driving out the most intelligent people from science. ...
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This was his response:
As to Dr. Katz's views...he sounds cynical and burned out to me. And if you were to believe what he said, you should jump into physics with the best chances to excel ever! I don't think it's quite that easy, but it is true that physics grad school is dominated by foreign students. I'm assuming you're an American based on your email handle. That can be an advantage headed to a PhD degree. No department has to worry about your visa issues, language issues, or citizenship (as some grants don't allow funding of non-US citizens).
The way I see it, you should go for whatever career you really want to have, and only look at alternatives after giving it your best shot. Perhaps not the most practical in some circumstances, but we only get one life and do you want to spend it following your dreams, or following someone else's opinion about what is practical?
Cheers,
Mike Brotherton, Associate Professor of Astronomy
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Essentially, you guys need to stop letting one person's opinion corrupt your view of Physics. If you like it, pursue it. Had you not read Dr. Katz's article, but instead found something that Dr. Brotherton posted, what would you be doing now?
