By Mark DeVolder
Los Alamos

After pondering a wide spectrum of issues in America today, I can’t help but think that everything is broken. That is not necessarily a problem if people are willing to face facts, make tough decisions and begin on improving a wide spectrum of concerns / issues. A critical question is where to begin making improvements.

Perhaps I am not the best messenger to address such a large spectrum of concerns/issues and there are those who would probably think that pouring molten gold in my ear might be an acceptable solution. However, I think it best to start somewhere and slowly/methodically make some progress.

When I worked at LANL, I was constantly given new “one-off” assignments for which I was poorly prepared. I was typically willing to try, however, that just doesn’t cut it in the today’s competitive world.  Developing useful solutions to problems often requires a considerable effort as well as a tremendous amount of experience. Late in my career I began to focus increasingly on what I could do the best. That turned out to be the engineering projects I was working on at home. What helped most was continuously having my nose about 3 inches away from each and every part on a piece of equipment. As I experimented with what worked and what did not work on my projects at home, I also began to see what worked and what did not work at LANL. That created in me a sense of independence and I began to look more toward my own best judgement on a spectrum of issues.

If one studies the sign near the US Post Office in downtown Los Alamos, you might ponder what J. Robert Oppenheimer said about “…think what they will….”

As I embark on the long and tortuous journey of identifying what is wrong in America today and what needs to be done about it, I am sure that I will make an abundance of mistakes. However, like any good technical “firefighter,” I will wade out into the swamp, wrestle with the alligators and look for the drain plug. I am also not afraid of failure or repeated failure. It is failure which ultimately leads to endurance and then to eventual success. No pain, no gain.

I would like to start with our school system. It is not enough to teach students. Students need to “learn” about what they are studying. As I worked on my engineering projects at home, I would rebuild pieces of equipment over and over again until they operated the way they were supposed to operate. Sometimes I would have to tear something down and rebuild it six times. Eventually, I developed a rebuilding process which was unique to a particular piece of equipment. If the repair was not successful, I had to experiment with different repair techniques until I found something that not only worked but worked reliably.

If a student doesn’t understand something that they are studying, they need to develop the perseverance and the skill necessary to achieve success. That may mean repeated failures until success is achieved.  In this situation, the instructor becomes a coach who sets high standards, leads, encourages experimentation, provides hints to prod constructive thinking, displays patience, and rewards endurance instead of just rewarding the correct answer. The instructor needs to help lay the groundwork for each and every student to become an independent, functional and useful adult in our society. To accomplish such a goal requires an innovative mindset on the part of the instructor that helps the student develop their own talents, unique capabilities and unique methods. However, there is something more which is needed.  Simply put, an instructor needs to create in each and every student a thirst for knowledge and the long-term goal of being a life-long learner.

I have to wonder how much information a student really retains after studying some subject for half of a school year or the whole school year. Testing may not provide a definitive picture of what a student does or does not understand. Preparing students for what will be on a test (that is, “watered-down testing”) may help to make an instructor or a school look good, but what does the student really know? Education is a cumulative process. If the foundation is weak, then successive educational efforts may become increasingly shaky.

I remember the shock I felt when I walked into my college Chemical Engineering Kinetics class one day and the professor said, “Close your books and I will distribute a ‘pop test’ for 25 percent of your final grade in the course. Ack! What the professor was trying to teach us was to think on our feet and always be prepared for the unexpected. That, in the end, is what life is all about in today’s competitive world. It also teaches one to keep after the homework assignments.

Later in life I was to learn about W. Edwards Deming’s 14 points and issues related to quality and productivity. Of course, the manager or the instructor has the toughest job of all. To this end, I recommend year-round schooling. The vacations can wait.

American students have a significant amount of catching up to do. I have seen too many photos of uniformed workers in Chinese factories. The workers appear to have a Gung-Ho attitude (that is, “to work together in harmony”). Much has been said about Americans being independent, but can Americans “work together” effectively. There are far too few American students getting upper-level college degrees (that is, Masters and Doctoral degrees in mathematics, science and engineering) compared with foreign students.  The foreign students are also choosing to take their hard-fought-for knowledge back to their countries of origin versus staying in America.

I have looked at the interior of cell phones, the interior of battery-operated power tools, the interior of computer cooling fans and a plethora of other manufactured goods (including automobiles) coming out of China, Germany, Japan and other countries. Notably, if you compare finished products coming out of some American companies versus those originating from foreign companies, it is like comparing a first grader’s finger paintings with a late-in-life Titian painting. I apologize, but that is the way I see it.

I ponder a phenomenon like Jamie Escalante (movie Stand and Deliver) and his efforts to teach Advanced Placement Calculus in high school where students received college-level credit for their studies. Regrettably, Mr. Escalante’s efforts did not extend across the entire student body at his high school – it needs to if America is going to be competitive against an abundance of talent and determination available internationally.

As an “oldie,” I have been somewhat critical of the younger generations. Understandably, this kind of behavior is typical of older people. However, I got a “wake-up call” recently when I listened to the KHFM (95.5 FM – Classical Public Radio) presentation – Peter Dugan’s, From the Top Sunday nights at 7 p.m.  I was extremely impressed with the youngsters on the program – their musical skill, their life interests other than music, their intensity and their phenomenal politeness. I found it to be inspiring and made me want to try harder to become better at whatever I do.

I will admit that Los Alamos is a unique place – a place ‘where discoveries are made.’ However, even in great places there is a tendency for things to move toward the mean.  In the 1960’s, the USS Steel mill in  Gary, Indiana was a great place. Look at it now on the internet and tell me if it is the same.

Of course, we can stay on the same course which we have already charted for decades. This will only lead to the sale of America for a handful of beads.

I will attempt to write more in the future. On the other hand, you as a reader must decide if you want to tackle a myriad of issues (or maybe just one issue) or you want to get the molten gold ready to pour in my ear.