A Fellowship of Science

In 1667 Queen Christina of Sweden praised chemistry as “a beautiful science, and the key which opens all treasures, giving health, glory and wisdom.” Even as the constitution of the discipline has changed enormously, this working definition of chemistry still applies today. For example, atomic and molecular science and technologies have expanded over the years and now cover conventional areas of biology, physics, materials science, and engineering. Originating in discussions held at the chemistry department of Johns Hopkins University, the Gordon Research Conferences have followed this evolution of research interest as science has moved toward an atomic and molecular understanding of material and processes. Scientists who regularly gather at Gordon Conferences enjoy the optimistic charge of Queen Christina and the current pleasures of exploring the frontiers of science.

In my own career I have profited from and enjoyed participating in Gordon Conferences immensely. I have participated in the Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles, Metals in Biology, Organic Geochemistry, Isotopes in Chemical and Biological Sciences, Inorganic Chemistry, and Energetic Materials (EM) conferences. I was the founding chair of the EM Conference while on the staff of Los Alamos National Laboratory. In the mid-1980s Dick Miller, from the Office of Naval Research, and I arranged a meeting at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology for research scientists from industry, academia, and national and military laboratories to discuss energetic materials R&D. At the end of the meeting many participants enthusiastically observed that the meeting was “just like a GRC.” I was given the task of approaching GRC about establishing a regular meeting on energetic materials. Our proposal was approved and the EM GRC had its first session in 1986.

Energetic Materials is an example of how a Gordon Conference can help bring together R&D participants from a variety of fields. Energetic materials covers a diverse group of materials, including high-performance high explosives, insensitive high explosives, propellants, emulsion explosives, pyrotechnics, and explosive welding techniques. The chemistry and physics of the materials are specialized, and the participants come from a broad international group representing industry, military applications, space exploration, university-based research, and other communities. These groups can be quite competitive and did not previously have a common venue to discuss fundamental research issues in the chemistry, physics, and materials science of these materials. The EM Gordon Conference has provided a common interface where basic problems can be discussed and relationships established. When the EM Conference was established, I was doing mostly program management and technology transfer at Los Alamos. GRC allowed me to make valuable contacts and to see what was taking place across the energetic materials field.

When I moved from Los Alamos to GRC as its director in 1993, a number of people suggested that the organization was not broken and that I not try to fix it. Put differently, GRC is a valuable asset to the scientific community, and no radical changes were needed in its organization or operation. I have followed that advice to a considerable extent. While working with the board of directors, the Selection and Scheduling Committee, and the council, GRC has grown at a steady, but manageable, rate. Business administration is now Internet-based; headquarters are housed in a new building; international Gordon Conferences are a success; and we cover a more diverse set of topics in science and technology, including the social impacts of those topics, than ever before.

The success of the GRC format lies in the inherent nature of group dynamics. Scientists tend to be synthetic thinkers; that is, they are people who are always on the lookout for new connections. A Gordon Conference provides many opportunities to view a problem from new vantage points, to seek personal connections, and to learn about new experimental methods and theoretical constructs.

Further, speculation is inherent to the development of a new idea or theory. Productive speculation requires an approachable climate of free and open idea exchange. GRC is famous for providing an opportunity for graduate students to meet and debate with the most senior members of a scientific community. Instant peer review is always available.

Despite misconceptions that genuine innovators are loners and do not need the social reinforcements that many crave, great innovations often come from group interactions. Whether in art, politics, philosophy, or science, innovation arises from social interaction–conversation, validation, the intimacy of proximity, and the look in a listener’s eye that tells the creator that he or she are on to something.

A cluster of people will come up with a position or decision far more extreme than that proposed by an individual. The flux and constant reassessment inherent in group decision making moves a group on to new possibilities, weeds out the weak ideas, and generates radically different approaches.

Finally, spending a week in a comfortable, rural setting with friends who share a strong interest in a compelling, fascinating subject is just good plain fun. The open and relaxed format, often termed “GRC summer camp,” brings people together, lowers the barriers to communication, and builds good group interactions.

When I became director of GRC, I inherited the efforts of Neil Gordon, George Parks, Alex Cruickshank, and the many dedicated volunteers who provided guidance and governance for the organization. I have enjoyed working with the GRC governing bodies immensely, the two thousand or more conference chairs over the past decade, and the many thousands of conferees I have met and often shared a meal or drink with. They have well represented my view of GRC, that it is a “fellowship of science.”

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to the GRC staff for their continuing efficient and good-natured efforts and the excellent service they have provided to the many thousands of conferees. They provide the infrastructure that makes the whole thing work.