The questions of the value of scientific research and the proper role of this research versus teaching are hotly contested. Stanford University, for example, is this year trying a new approach to shift the emphasis more toward teaching and, implicitly, away from research in evaluating faculty for critical tenure decisions. Working with Dr. John Heilbron of the History of Science and Technology Program of the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Assmus is examining the history of the growth of physics research, and more generally scientific research, from the 1920's to the 1950's from the perspective of a major state university. Specifically, she is examining the growth of research and its balance with teaching through a biographical study of Raymond T. Birge. Birge, a physicist, was chair of the department of physics at the University of California, Berkeley during critical years (1932-1955) before and immediately after World War II. A look at the historical development of the research university and its relation to national life should shed light on decisions about the proper balance between research and teaching. The Birge papers are kept at Berkeley. John Heilbron, with his extensive knowledge of the history of quantum physics and American science, and his skill at writing scientific biographies, is an ideal mentor for this project.
