The University of Minnesota's Earth Science in the Early 1950s; Academic Science Then and Now

Abstract

The paper provides a personal and institutional history of the University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics (Mpls) in the early 1950s. The Department is now part of the School of Earth Science, named for N.H. Winchell, a multifaceted pioneer in Minnesota and U.S. earth science. He edited an exhaustive monograph on Minnesota Indian cultures. The review also compares academic science in the 1950s with the present. It points out that the vast growth in academic research has also produced shadow sides, diminishing emphasis on student education in favor of disciplinary research by faculty. However, Minnesota's School of Science and Engineering appears to rank well among institutions in terms of contributions to the larger society.

Keywords: University of Minnesota earth science; N.H. Newell, Minnesota history, historical comparison academic science, Indian cultures, Department of Geology and Geophysics; 1950s