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John
W. MOORE
(*This
is the November 2001 editorial of The Journal of EXCERPTS: The tragic events that took place on Tuesday, September 11, will remain in all of our minds for the rest of our lives. That a small band of fanatical terrorists can wreak such havoc and take thousands of lives in a few hours is a sobering reminder of the power of modern technology to do evil as well as good. In the hands of people determined, …, technologies that we take for granted, such as air travel, can be turned into weapons of mass destruction. … It is important for students to be aware that their teachers are concerned about such issues, …, and that our scientific and technical expertise can be useful in analyzing and addressing the many issues involved. As scientists we try to be objective in our work, but that is not equivalent to being indifferent toward or uninvolved in the world outside of science. …Scientific discoveries … bring many benefits but also invariably raise concerns regarding unintended negative consequences. We don't always recognize initially what all of those consequences will be, and fortunately many negative predictions turn out never to be fulfilled. … Perhaps we all should dedicate some of our thought to imagining unexpected uses of the science and technology … and to creating ways to stymie those who would misuse it. … The day after the tragedy(,) I felt that it was impossible to teach a class without mentioning the events of the day before, and so I indicated some of my feelings…, suggested some actions students might take to help... Later in the day … a student expressed appreciation for the simple fact that I had said anything at all… it was reassuring for students to have a professor demonstrate clearly in the classroom concern about a tragic situation. I think this applies to any teacher in any classroom. Students (and many others) look to teachers for leadership and reassurance… Our message will come through loud and clear, even if it is not stated explicitly or in beautiful phrases. Students observe our behavior as people as well as what we write on the chalkboard as teachers… In the aftermath of a great tragedy it is hard to know what to say or do, but it would be a great mistake to say and do nothing. CORRESPONDENCE: John W. MOORE, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706; fax: 608-265-8094; e-mail: jwmoore@chem.wisc.edu
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