A few columns back I mentioned a research project that was consuming most of the time and energy of the E&P staff, a history of exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico based on magazines that Hart published long ago. It was during my perusal of one of these old magazines from 1962 that I came across an ad for a brochure called “Is there a future scientist or engineer in your home?” It’s subtitled “A guidebook for parents… whose help is needed to discover and encourage the nation’s future engineers and scientists.”

I had to bite. I Googled the publisher, Battelle Memorial Institute, which luckily still does exist, and sent them a query. Within a week I had a PDF of a badly bruised but still legible pamphlet. I have been chuckling ever since.

I must say, though, that the advice in this pamphlet is, in general, excellent parenting advice regardless of one’s child’s potential career path. It talks about identifying aptitude, working with schools to improve the science curriculum, being flexible and not forcing students to pursue a career they’re not interested in, etc.

Beyond that, the budding scientist or engineer of 1962 must have been a pretty upstanding individual. Here are the traits considered necessary to be successful (note the masculine pronouns throughout):
• The potential scientist or engineer remembers quickly and easily.
• He is alert and observant.
• He wishes to know “why” in addition to “what.”
• He understands and uses a large number of words.
• He learns rapidly and without a great deal of drilling.
• He can pay attention to material over a relatively long period of time.
• He is interested in a wide range of subjects although he may have one or two special interests.
• He reasons clearly and understands abstract ideas.
• He will normally be in the upper third of his class scholastically.
• He exhibits an easily observed facility for mathematics.
• He possesses good physical and emotional health.

With this wish list of prerequisites, perhaps it’s not so surprising that, then as now, there was a shortage of scientists and engineers.

Add to that list the willingness to work one’s fingers to the bone in high school — the suggested coursework is staggering and includes four years of English (this is an American publication), four years of math, four years of science, three years of social studies and at least two years of a foreign language. Additionally, these budding geniuses were encouraged to take scientific electives, and here the list is astonishing — did high schools in the United States in the 1960s really offer electives in microbiology, atomic physics, geophysics and astronomy? Add to that the suggested extra-curricular activities, including Science Club, science fairs, scientific publications and, of course, sports.

Parents are given pointers on how to steer their kids toward science and engineering without forcing them to make a decision. “The scientifically talented student should be led to a recognition of the fact that a suggested problem may either be unworthy or impossible of solution under present existing conditions,” the pamphlet states. “The erroneous picture of the scientists who discover great things by accident should be discouraged.

“You will want to remind the embryo scientist that the great scientific and engineering discoveries of our world are usually the results of long hours — more often years — of hard, diligent and persistent application to a problem. They are the results of hard work by creative, highly trained, methodically working scientists and engineers who have worked both as individuals and as a member of a team.”

Finally is a recognition that these mini-Einsteins might feel out of place, either because their parents resent their academic achievement or are unable to recognize the fact that their child is gifted. That gifted child, in return, might become conceited and arrogant. It’s up to the parents to help the child arrive at the recognition of his superiority properly so that he will be “likely to accept it as an ordinary state of affairs.”

“This acceptance can be fostered by you,” the pamphlet states. “You will encourage him to perform to the measure of his ability, not use his abilities to loaf along during school. …At the same time, you will help him to see that instead of being better than others, he is only more fortunate in being endowed with outstanding abilities.”

Whew. Bringing up a budding scientist or engineer is obviously a tall order. Let’s hope today’s parents are up to the challenge.