On bridging the theory/practice gap

In a survey (Blonder et al., 1995), 27 researchers provided inputs concerning the state of research in systems and control and were asked to give their opinions on the major challenges facing the control community. Among the challenges identified was the need to bridge the gap between theory and practice. In this article the author speculates on some reasons for the existence of the gap and provides concrete suggestions for bridging it. Specifically he is interested in the following questions: 1. What is the evidence for the existence of the gap? 2. What is the extent of the gap? 3. What is the significance of the gap for systems and control research? 4. What factors have contributed to the gap? 5. What technical research problems are pertinent to bridging the gap? 6. Why is it important to bridge the gap?