ABSTRACT
Research («re¤»s\rch) Everyone thinks he or she understands the broad objectives of research in fields like science, engineering, and agriculture. Scientists work to cure cancer; engineers invent new building materials or design better bridges; faculty in agriculture improve crop yields or breed better pigs. More basic or theoretical research may make people uneasy, but the faith in material progress at least obliquely underwrites the entire scientific enterprise. The practical benefits gained from many research projects generally balance and compensate for whatever seems incomprehensibly abstract.
