School & District Management

Pasteur Praised as Thinker Who Bridged Basic-Applied Gap

By Debra Viadero — March 19, 2003 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In the 1850s, winemakers in France and throughout the rest of Europe were facing a problem that threatened them with economic ruin. One barrel of grape juice would turn into perfectly good wine, while another from the same vineyard or region would go bad. Still a third would become vinegar.

Asked to look into the situation, the French scientist Louis Pasteur made a discovery: Fermentation was a process carried out by living microorganisms. Up until then, most experts assumed the process was a chemical one.

That realization eventually led Pasteur to formulate germ theory. Germ theory, in turn, spurred the development of pasteurization, better methods for large- scale brewing of wine and beer, antiseptic routines in hospitals, and the production of vaccines to prevent contagious diseases.

To the late Donald E. Stokes, Pasteur’s career seemed to be the ideal illustration of how a scientist could undertake serious, scholarly research to understand natural phenomena and use it simultaneously to solve practical problems.

“The mature Pasteur never did a study that wasn’t applied, as he laid out a whole new branch of science,” wrote Mr. Stokes, a longtime professor and former dean at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Profound Influence

That’s why Mr. Stokes chose the celebrated scientist to carry the title of his 1997 book Pasteur’s Quadrant, a trim volume that argues for joining the separate worlds of basic and applied research in all fields of scientific inquiry.

The Brookings Institution, the Washington think tank where Mr. Stokes was a resident scholar at the time, published only 1,000 hardcover and 6,500 paperback copies of the book.

Despite the small print run—and the fact that education research is barely mentioned at all—the book has profoundly influenced the educational researchers casting about for ways to produce “usable” knowledge.

“The Stokes book gave people a new language for talking about doing research that involved observing and studying problems of practice,” said Susan Goldman, a professor of psychology in education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “It gave people a way of talking about those studies that didn’t take on this connotation that they were not doing fundamental research.”

For at least half a century, thinkers in science and public policy have grown used to separating scientific endeavors into two camps.

In the more exalted “basic” camp, researchers are striving to contribute to the knowledge base in the field, whether that might be developing germ theory or understanding how children learn to add and subtract.

In the “applied” camp, the job of researchers is to devise practical applications and technical innovations involving basic knowledge.

Typically, the thinking has been that research progresses along a continuum that begins with basic work and moves to coming up with applications.

“Essentially, as long as you view research as falling on a continuum from basic to applied, you’re doomed to fail in an effort to join the two,” said Lauren B. Resnick, a University of Pittsburgh cognitive psychologist. “Stokes said to think of the goals of use and knowledge-building as two different dimensions that you get if you build a two-by-two table.”

The late scholar called the category of work at the intersection of those worlds “use-inspired basic research.” Looking at scientific inquiry in that more realistic light, he argued, could help forge a new compact between science and government.

Donald Stokes did not live long enough to watch his thinking play out in the field of education research. He died of leukemia in 1997 at age 69, less than a year before Pasteur’s Quadrant was published.

Related Tags:

Events

Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management
Moving the Needle on Attendance: What’s Working NOW
See how family engagement is improving attendance, and how to put it to work in schools.
Content provided by TalkingPoints

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A How One District Fought to Get a Family Out of Immigration Detention
Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of the Sackets Harbor Central school district in New York, says leaders must do what is right for students.
5 min read
Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney poses with first-grade students during a school parade on May 16, 2025.
Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney poses with first-grade students during a school event on May 16, 2025.
Courtesy of Jennifer Gaffney
School & District Management Active Kids Are Better Learners. Here's How Principals Can Get Them Moving
In an era of waning recess, here are a few tips to make learning more than just a "sit-and-get" lesson.
4 min read
Student Carrera Crittenden participates in an activity during a theatre class at Weber High School, taught by Mark Daniels, on January 13, 2025 in Pleasant View, Utah. Daniels incorporates a lot of movement in the students during all of his classes.
Student Carrera Crittenden participates in an activity during a theatre class at Weber High School, taught by Mark Daniels, on January 13, 2025 in Pleasant View, Utah. Daniels incorporates a lot of movement in the students during all of his classes.
Kim Raff for Education Week
School & District Management Do Districts Have 'Administrative Bloat'? This State May Let the Public Decide
A North Carolina bill would require districts to publish the salaries of central-office administrators.
5 min read
A vector illustration of a large, red one hundred dollar bill on it's side with men in business suits balancing on the edge with some falling off.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Want to Be a Better Education Leader? Try These 5 Strategies
Teams should leave you feeling more connected, not drained and disengaged.
6 min read
Screen Shot 2025 05 18 at 8.06.14 AM
Canva