IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine - Winter 2018 - 7

a ssoc iate editor's vie w

Marcel Pelgrom

Science or Research

In every country, science foundations distribute available government
money to organizations that have submitted proposals for funding. Independent committees of respectable
scientists and sometimes an industry
representative select the most relevant
projects to receive funding.
One day, I found myself in the company of leading professors in nearly all
scientific fields to make these decisions. In an introductory round, the
chair invited each person to give his/her
opinion on the vast amount of submitted
proposals. Terms like "high quality"
and "novel research" were alternated
with even bolder phrases. When it was
my turn, I said that we should be finished before the coffee break as there
were only three proposals that could
be labeled as "scientific." The rest were
interesting works of research but lacked
the minimum requirements for a scientific proposal: hypothesis, experiment,
measurement, and evaluation. As I
was the only person in the room without
an academic affiliation, that message
flabbergasted the professors.
Science and research are terms that
are often seen as synonyms. Yet there
is a clear difference. Science explains
the existing world by means of models, preferably in mathematical formalisms. Newton described gravity
by a formula for the force between
two masses. Einstein explained gravity by hypothesizing gravitational

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSSC.2017.2771100
Date of publication: 31 January 2018

waves traveling at the speed of light,
ences, like the IEEE International Solfor which more experimental proof
id-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC),
was recently found. That is science:
came from industry. Today, the majorformulate a hypothesis, set up a chality of industrial research institutions
lenging experiment, carry out accurate
has disappeared. This research task is
measurements, and evaluate the regiven to universities, and industry pasults in the light of the hypothesis.
pers now make up one-third of ISSCC
Orville and Wilbur Wright realized
accepted papers.
that a sea of air surrounds us. A wing
During these conferences, academof specific shape will turn forward
ic researchers happily show their latest
motion into vertical lift,
results but often lack
defying gravity. This
fundamental scientific
novel insight turned
understanding. In some
Confusing the true
their research work into
top-10 universities, an
nature of science
a major contribution
accepted research paper
and research
to the advance of manon a tier 1 conference is
creates false
kind. Research opens
essential for obtaining
expectations.
new applications.
a Ph.D. degree. That is a
Only few of the excelhuge misunderstanding
lent researchers I met had been educatabout the essence of science. A sciened in academia, and none had a Ph.D.
tist must be able to build knowledge
Yet they somehow understood the funby showing that he/she can investidamentals of their field. They created
gate and explain the world in a scieninnovations that changed the world or
tific way. Coming up with a novel idea
generated billions of dollars in revenue.
qualifies you as a good researcher, but
Some of my professors were great
it is not relevant for qualifying you as
scientists. They had gained a baffling
a scientist.
amount of insight in their respective
The research task is tempting to
fields, without ever coming up with
universities as it comes with fame and
a new application. It was a privilege
funding. This evolution has thoroughto sit in their classes as only great
ly corrupted the scientific education
scientists can really teach you some
of university dwellers. Still, scientists
fundamental insight, e.g. Feynman
have to provide new insights in underlectures on physics.
standing nature because that is the baConfusing the true nature of science
sis for research progress.
and research creates false expectaThat message is hard to accept. Certions. Formerly, science and educatainly for my colleagues in that Science
tion were a sole university task. Large
Foundation committee. No follow-up
(industrial) institutions addressed the
invitation has ever arrived.
research challenges. About 90% of
the papers in typical research confer-

IEEE SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS MAGAZINE

w i n t e r 2 0 18

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine - Winter 2018