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Basic vs. Applied Research

RM-898 Research Methodology

Background Information

There is a major controversy taking place these days in the scientific community regarding the value of various types of scientific research. Some of the issues being debated are:

Who should be paying for basic research? Should the government spend less of the taxpayer's money on basic research in order

to concentrate more funding on research projects that have potential economic value?

Should public funds be used in applied research being carried out by private industrial companies?

First we need to discuss the following question:

What is "BASIC RESEARCH"?

What is "APPLIED RESEARCH"?

What have been the "RECENT TRENDS" in science research?

Where are the possible FUTURE TRENDS? 2

What is Basic Research?

Basic (fundamental or pure) research is driven by a scientist's curiosity or interest in a scientific question. The main motivation is to expand man's knowledge , not to create or invent something. There is no obvious commercial value to the discoveries that result from basic research.

For example, basic science investigations probe for answers to questions such as:

How did the universe begin? What are protons, neutrons, and electrons composed of? How do slime molds reproduce? What is the specific genetic code of the fruit fly?

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What is Basic Research?

Most scientists believe that a basic, fundamental understanding of all branches of science is needed in order for progress to take place. In other words, basic research lays down the foundation for the applied science that follows.

If basic work is done first, then applied spin-offs often eventually result from this research. How has basic research been important in the past?

What is applied research?

Is it really all black or white?

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Basic Research Model of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

There have been many historical examples in which basic research has played a vital role in the advancement of scientific knowledge. Here are just a few important examples:

Our understanding of genetics and heredity is largely due to the studies of Mendel, who studied pea plants in the 1860's, and the experiments with fruitflies by T.H. Morgan in the early 20th century. These organisms were used because it was easier to design experiments using pea plants and fruitflies than using higher forms of life. (Fruitflies are still being used today in the Human Genome Project!)

DNA has been called the "ladder of life". Today, the double-helix structure of DNA is routinely introduced in middle school life science classes, but in the early 1950's, the structure of DNA was still being determined. Using data gathered from the previous basic research of other scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structural design of the DNA molecule in 1953. Determining DNA's structure was vital to our understanding of how DNA worked.

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Many of today's electrical devices (e.g., radios, generators and alternators) can trace their roots to the basic research conducted by Michael Faraday in 1831. He discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction, that is, the relationship between electricity and magnetism.

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Advanced Light Source, x-rays are used to help us to probe into very tiny samples of materials. But our understanding of the properties of x-rays began with the fundamental experiments in 1895.

In 1931, Lawrence invented the first functional cyclotron, a device that would allow scientists to accelerate atomic particles to incredible speeds. Soon after, the Berkeley National Laboratory was established. Subsequent basic research which led to the discovery of many radioactive isotopes. Some of these isotopes -- such as carbon-14, cobalt-60, hydrogen-3 (tritium), iodine-131, and technetium-99 -- later became vital research tools used by biologists, paleontologists, and archeologists, or as aids in the medical treatment of various diseases.

Each of these scientists was trying to learn about the basic nature of the phenomena that they were studying. Only today can we see the vast implications of their research!

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What is Applied Research?

Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the modern world, rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge's sake. One might say that the goal of the applied scientist is to improve the human condition .

For example, applied researchers may investigate ways to:

improve agricultural crop production treat or cure a specific disease improve the energy efficiency of homes, offices, or modes of

transportation

Some scientists feel that the time has come for a shift in emphasis away from purely basic research and toward applied science.

This trend, they feel, is necessary by the problems resulting from global overpopulation, pollution, and the overuse of the earth's natural resources.

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Applied Research

There have been many historical examples in which applied research has had a major impact on our daily lives. In many cases, the application was derived long before scientists had a good, basic understanding of them underlying science. (One might envision a scientist sitting at his lab bench, scratching his head and saying to himself, "I know it works; I just don't really know how it works!") Here are just a few examples:

Prior to the 1950's, vacuum tubes were used as triodes in electrical devices such as radios. In 1948, 3 researchers at AT & T's Bell Laboratories (John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley) invented the transistor, a solid state triode that would revolutionize the electronics industry. Indeed, the transistor made possible the invention of the integrated circuit (the key component in microprocessors) by Jack Kilby ten years later.

Vaccinations against various diseases save countless lives each year. The first use of a vaccine occurred in the late 1790's. Edward Jenner developed a technique for vaccinating people against smallpox, a disease that once killed millions of people. In 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully innoculated a patient with a rabies vaccine. More recently, Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio in 1953; an oral form of the vaccine was produced by Albert Sabin in 1961.

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Applied Research

A classic case of serendipity (chance discovery) took place in 1928. Sir Alexander Fleming was trying to find chemicals that behaved as antibiotics, substances that kill bacteria. A Penicillium mold accidentally contaminated one of his bacterial cultures. He observed that the bacteria could not grow near the mold, suggesting that the mold was producing a natural anti-bacterial agent. After years of research to isolate and purify the substance, our first true antibiotic, penicillin reached the marketplace. Fleming stated that "nature created penicillin. I only found it."

Velcro has been used routinely for only the last few years or so. It was actually invented back in 1948 by Georges de Mestral. He noticed that the seeds of the cocklebur contained tiny hooks that enabled the seeds to cling to fur and clothing. He proceeded to develop a material containing similar hooks to use as a fastener. Although his product was patented in 1957, it took many years for technology to catch up so that velcro could be mass-produced inexpensively.

John Lawrence, founded the Donner Laboratory on the UC Berkeley campus in 1936. His goal was to use radioactive isotopes to treat human diseases such as cancer and hyperthyroidism. Donner Lab is now considered to be the birthplace of nuclear medicine.

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The Gray Zone

The distinction between basic and applied research isn't always clear. It sometimes depends on your perspective or point of view. one way to look at it is to ask the following question: "How long will it be before some practical application results from the research ?"

If a practical use is only a few years away, then the work can be defined as strictly applied research.

If a practical use is still 20-50 years away, then the work is somewhat applied and somewhat basic in nature.

If a practical use cannot be envisioned in the foreseeable future, then the work can be described as purely basic research.

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For example, for some time now, a fair amount of research has been underway on developing fusion reactors to provide a controlled energy source for cities. There is a clear applied goal to this work, yet there are so many technical obstacles to overcome that it may be another 30 to 50 years before we see a functional fusion reactor in use. The development of fusion energy could be regarded as both basic and applied research.

Superconductivity is another research area that falls into this gray zone. Most conductors of electricity are not very efficient; some energy is lost as heat as the electricity passes through the (typically metallic) conductor. Superconductors are materials that lose little or no energy as electricity passes through them. However, the earliest superconductors had to be cooled with expensive liquid helium to temperatures below -269 C to work properly. Newer materials have been developed in recent years that show superconductive properties at much warmer temperatures, requiring only inexpensive liquid nitrogen to be sufficiently cooled.

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Clearly, the development of new superconductive materials falls into the basic research. However, if and when superconductive materials are developed that can be used as easily as copper wire, many important practical applications will soon follow, including providing electricity to cities much more efficiently.

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Recent Trends in Science Research

There has been a noticeable shift in philosophy regarding the types of research receiving federal funding in recent years. Universities get much of their money from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Research at the Berkeley National Laboratory is funded primarily by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Congress has a strong influence on what types of research get funded, because it allocates money to these various federal agencies. Some members of Congress want to see less money given to basic research projects that probably will not lead to applied work for quite some time. This philosophy contributed to the demise of the Super-Conducting Super Collider (SSC) project in Texas in 1993.

This shift in national priorities has greatly concerned many scientists. In fact, a group of 60 Nobel-prize winning researchers co-signed a letter that was sent to US President.

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Not all large-scale projects involving basic research have been cut. The Human Genome Project is a long-term venture in which the entire set of human chromosomes (genome) are being studied in two main ways. First, each chromosome is being chemically analyzed to determine the precise molecular sequence of nucleotides (subunits) that form the genetic code in DNA.

Secondly, each chromosome is being mapped out to determine the precise location of each gene in the genome. However, in order to gain a better understanding of the nature of chromosomes, simpler forms of life (e.g., fruit flies, nematode worms, and yeast cells) have been extensively studied as part of the Human Genome Project.

One ultimate goal of this ambitious program is to be able to cure genetically-caused illnesses such as Cystic Fibrosis (Difficulty breathing, lung infections) and sickle-cell anemia (blood disorder) through new medical techniques such as gene therapy.

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Industry does little basic research today. Due to the competitive nature of the business world, commercial research tends to emphasize projects requiring less than 10 years to develop a new product or process. Businesses simply cannot afford to engage in long-term research projects. As a result, universities and government laboratories are left with the responsibility to carry out basic research and long-term applied research.

There is quite a bit of applied research being conducted today. The Energy and Environment Division specializes in this type of work. Recent work has included developing a water-purification system using ultra-violet radiation, studying how radon enters buildings, analyzing ozone pollution accumulation inside buildings, and designing energy-efficient building materials.

Another major project in recent years has been the construction and implementation of the Advanced Light Source, a facility that allows scientists to use x-rays and ultraviolet waves to examine the structure of materials at the atomic level.

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Possible Future Trends in Basic and Applied Research

Mankind has become a dominant force in the shaping and manipulation of our global environment. Many scientists are greatly concerned that, in the next 40 years, the population of our planet will increase so dramatically that the earth will no longer be able to support our current standard of living. As more and more countries become industrialized, the problems associated with this lifestyle - overuse of raw materials, energy consumption, pollution - will also increase. Scientists are worried that the planet will reach an unsustainable level of use.

Science research may be able to help solve these problems. This would require funding for long-term applied research - - research geared not toward creating products to help us compete with other nations, but rather research focused on sustainable use of our planet's resources.

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Possible Future Trends in Basic and Applied Research

Solving problems of global sustainability will probably require a multi-disciplinary approach, that is, teams of scientists from different research areas working together.

Multi-disciplinary projects utilize the expertise of scientists in different fields (e.g., biology, geology, chemistry, and physics). It also opens new lines of communication among researchers. Joint research projects of this type are more likely to receive funding from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. In fact, this approach is already being used at some research labs.

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Discussion Questions

Food for Thought:

Some basic scientific research has no foreseeable practical value other than "knowledge for knowledge's sake".

Many technological, medical, and scientific breakthoughs were made possible only due to the knowledge gained by prior basic research.

Discussion Questions:

Can a country afford to spend millions of dollars on research that may have no practical benefit?

Should educational institutions concentrate on basic research, or should they be allowed to concentrate on research programs that might be more profitable in the end?

In Pakistan should National Assembly be allowed to tell the research-funding organizations what types of scientific research should be supported?

Does industry bear a responsibility to support basic research, since its technological and medical advances are often the result of someone else's basic work?

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Thank you