Keep science research in the schools

In one early visit to the U.S., Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest scientist in history, was subjected to a very public pop quiz devised by none other than American inventor Thomas Edison, according to author Walter Isaacson in “Einstein: His Life and Universe.”

The quiz consisted of a series of trivia questions. Call it an early form of “Jeopardy.” At one point, Einstein was asked what the speed of sound is. Few had ever studied sound waves like Einstein had, but he was stumped. He admitted that he did not “carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books.”

Then, according to Isaacson, Einstein made a profound point. “The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts,” he said, “but the training of the mind to think.”

His words are truer than ever today.

Last week, Long Island high schools learned the initial results of the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search, for which students submit in-depth research projects that in some cases take two to three years to complete. Long Island high schools boasted more than 60 of the nation’s 300 semifinalists in the competition.

In recent years, a number of South Shore school districts have invested heavily in science research programs, hiring mentors who work with small cadres of highly qualified students. The budget dollars that go to such research programs, which are not state-mandated, add up quickly, but to our minds they are well spent. In upcoming budget negotiations, districts should maintain funding for science research, despite potential cutbacks in state aid.

Once upon a time, the U.S. was a manufacturing nation. We built the goods that the world wanted. In many ways, America’s manufacturing sector remains strong, but it is waning, as we have seen in the past year with the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler.

The U.S., economists tell us, is steadily becoming a “service economy.” The question is, what the heck does that mean?