To the Editor:
While John Stevenson makes some interesting points in "In Need of Discrimination" (The Dartmouth, August 3), I found his brief jab at science and engineering departments totally unecessary, and, moreover, reflective of deep ignorance:
"(Unfortunately, the sciences and engineering departments often have curricula that are devoid of normative content. This is, of course, unsurprising given how much of their funding comes from places like the Department of Defense and other assorted institutions of war making. In fact, most of the products of the science and engineering departments scoff at the idea that they should think critically about what scientific research means --- but I digress.)"
Perhaps John had some unfulfilling experiences in some intro-level science courses. As a biochemistry major, however, I can assure you that several of my upper level courses have focused heavily on recently published papers and have included discussion on what can make research "good" or "bad."
In addition, in any of the science departments there are a large portion of students involved in research with faculty members. These experiences require one to justify one's projects to fuding agencies (whether it be the Office of the Dean of the Faculty or some outside group)and "to think critically about what scientific research means."
Lastly, I highly doubt that the majority of funding for the biology, chemistry, and other science departments at Dartmouth comes from "assorted institutions of war making." Has John ever heard of the NIH (National Institutes of Health)?
Mr. Stevenson should try to become a bit more informed before he goes off making such assertions that are completely unnecessary to his overall argument.
