The Michigan Daily-Friday, November 20, 1981-Page 9 New 'U' administrator at center of debate THE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FAST RESULTS CALL 764-4557 Daily 9.6, Closed S wTUage Apotiecary ittnavsand oliavs1112 South Universiy 663-5533 George Gamota is in the middle of a growing campus controversy but he doesn't seem to know why. A former director for research in the Department of Defense, Gamota, 42,, began his job as director of the Univer- sity's Institute of Science and Technology June 1. Since that time, there has been a fear among some students and faculty members that he is here to procure more defense con- tracts for University researchers. HE OPENLY proclaims his liking for the defense department. But he says helping University researchers obtain defense contracts is just one activity that goes with his job. "I see my job a little differently from my predecessors," he said in his noticeable Ukrainian accent. "One part is to manage (the institutue), and equally important is to organize people from the whole University to pursue (research) opportunities," he said. Gamota said he believes the best way to approach research is "by problems, not disciplines." He said he is trying to group people from various disciplines in order to best approach research possibilities. AND IN keeping with University President Harold Shapiro's renewed emphasis on research, Gamota said he is doing all he can to find research op- portunities. Gamota said he sees the defense department as one of those places in which the University stands to make gains. Asked why the defense department sponsors basic research, Gamota an- swered "Why not?" "IT'S EXISTED for hundreds of years that way. Lewis and Clark was a military expedition," he said. Gamota cited just a few of the other examples of defense-sponsored work that have benefited society, such as micro-electronics ("the basis for those calculators you carry in your pockets," he said), computers, and synthetic rub- ber. Gamota does not fear the possible applications of basic research. He said he looks at research from the point of view of a scientist. (Before joining the defense department, he did physics research.) He said he does not want to close off avenues of support for in- vestigations. "IF YOU'RE looking at Saturn," he suggested in an interview last month, "you may have a fear of Star Wars, but that doesn't mean you should stop looking at it." Gamota is supportive of basic research on college campuses, but he says he is not trying to bring classified work here. "The University has a good policy (on classified research), and I support it," Gamota said. He said he does not see any validity in the argument that the defense depar- tment should not support basic resear- ch because all research in science and engineering can have national security implications. "I defy you to name one (project) that is not," Gamota responded to a Michigan Student Assembly question last week. -Barry Witt k - i St, :)unaays ana nonaays a _ Defense work okay to many (Continued from Page 1) of detonation for the defense depar- tment. THOSE WHO use these basics deter- mine how to apply them, they argue. "Any knowledge can be used con- structively or destructively," said Engineering Prof. Emmett Leith. George Gamota, the new director of the University's Institute of Science and Technology, noted that even Sir Isaac Newton used the British military to pay ,for his basic work. Certainly gravity has applications to the military, but supporters question, does that mean no one should have researched what it was all about? In addition, today's researchers find the defense department to be a very good boss for their work. SINNOTT SAID he likes defense sponsorship because he only has one boss. . Other federal agencies are more tangled in bureaucracy and would be more difficult to work for, he said. Sinnott also pointed out that the defense department has a "real reason" for sponsoring his materials research council, whereas another organization would not be concerned specifically with the work his group is doing. Therefore, he said, although the work can benefit a number of organzations, the Pentagon is the most likely can- didate to sponsor it. For certain areas of technological research, getting money from other departments is difficult, say some researchers. "THE NATIONAL Science Foun- dation will do some things, but it's very limited," Nicholls said. "By definition, (the defense depar- tment) has to be up and ahead on things...so the money is likely to come from there," Nicholls said. "Because (the military) must be on top of technology, that immediately classifies it as (an organization) with the need to support advanced work," he said. A DEPARTMENT of Defense official said the military takes responsibility for supporting research in areas such as lasers and integrated circuits. "If we don't pursue them, they don't get adequate funding, said Jimmie Sut- tIe, an assistant director for research at the defense department. "We push along areas in which we see potential," he said. "We're trying to push them along a little faster." IN 1970, Congress passed the Man sfield Amendment, which required the. defense department only to sponsor projects for which it could show a direct relationship to a military function. But after six months of following the guidelines, the Pentagon found it too restrictive to complete some of its ob- jectives, and Congress softened the rule said Institute of Science and Technology Director Gamota. Now; Pentagon-sponsored research must have some national security im- plication Gamota said, but added that any technological research project could have such an implication somewhere along the line. "The things we support do have a potential relevance for us," Suttle said. "We don't spend money on things that aren't relevant to natinal security in the future." BUT ONE of the "things," Suttle ad- Noon Luncheon HOMEMADE SOUP and SANDWICH $1.00 Fri.,'Nov. 20 "LEFTIST EDUCATION TODAY," A Panel Presentation with: Barney Pace Heidi Gottfried Joe Summers GUILD HOUSE - 802 Monroe 662-5189 ded, is "advancing the technology base. And Engineering School Dean James Duderstadt said that is the key to much of the research he has seen here. "The defense department is interested in maintaining a certain level of com- petence in the technical fields," Duder- stadt said. Duderstadt has worked with the Air Force on research concerning the "Propagation and Interaction of Inten- se Beams." He said the Air Force sponsors research here "not because there are any definite applications, but because they want to maintain com- petence." ,1 - "AMERICA'S FOREMOST MAGICIAN" NOVEMBER 25 POWER CENTER TWO SHOWS 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets for the 5:30 p.m. shows are $10.00 and $9.00. tickets for the 8:00 p.m. show are $11.00 and $10.00. All tickets are available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office, Hudson's and CTC outlets. A MAJOR EVENTS PRESENTATION 0 fm - -A - I .