It is unclear how research in academe will be affected by the date change. Joel M. Blumenthal, a spokesman for the agency, says its Office of Information and Resource Management has received no reports of problems. Most university administrators have taken a decentralized approach to making Y2K repairs on research equipment. They are encouraging researchers to check their equipment and make necessary repairs, but are not dispatching computing-staff members to inspect the lab equipment. Scientists would resent outsiders' coming into their labs, even to fix Y2K bugs, says Iowa's Ms. Nickels.
Research is a highly competitive area.
Some experts suspect that professors on many campuses have not yet checked all of their computers for Y2K problems. However, campus research facilities may be more dependent on computers, directly or indirectly, than some scientists may realize. For example, a Y2K-induced power failure at Iowa could kill or injure laboratory mice that are crucial for biomedical experiments. Microprocessors in systems such as elevators are causing other worries. In many cases, campus employees may not be equipped to deal with microprocessor-embedded systems that have Y2K problems, and will be forced to call on the manufacturer for repairs or replacements.