editorially speaking Science in the National Interest This is the title of a document issuedin August 1994by the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy delineating the national eoals in the areas of science. technolow. -.. and education for the United States. The report is the result of a meeting-the heForumon Science in the National Interest"-held at the National Academy of Sciences earlier in 1994 and eo-sponsored hy virtually every Federal agency addressing issues of science, technology, or education. The philosophy underpinning this document derives from Vannevar Bush's seminal report to the President in 1945,"Science: The Endless Fmntier", in which Bush states:
-
The Government should accept new responsibilities far pmmoting the flow ofnew scientific knowledge and the development of scientific talent in our youth. These responsibilities are the proper concern of the Government, for they vitally affect our health, ourjabs, and our national security." This basic idea is extended by the current administration hy their observation t h a t science is the endless resource. In the course of unfolding the secrets of nature, science provides new knowledge. - The creation of new scientific knowledge . is the vehicle by which technical innovations in health, prosperity, and security of the country as well as the continual development of the neeessary human resources will he expressed. The over-arching goal for this Administration for fundamental research is continuing Americak world leadership in the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering To sustain the leadership position we now hold, the country must improve the conditions, capabilities, and opportunities for well-trained scientists and engineers to pursue innovative research to educate the next generation and to apply science in areas of mportance to the country The national goal, according to the report, will be achieved through the following generally stated activities. 1. Maintain leadership across t h e frontiers of scientific knowledge. 2. Enhance connections between fundamental research and national eoals. "~ 3. Stmulate p a n u r r s h i p ~fhnt promote investments in fundamental scicrwr and engineenngand the m&ctrvc u t c uf physical, human, and financial resources. 4. Produce the finest scientists and engineers for the twentyfirst century. 5. Raise scientific and technological literacy of all Americans. ~~~~
Continuing the support of the "research endeavor," which has produced the current American pre-eminence in world science, is seen as the mute to the solution of our current human development problems in science education as well as to alleviate world competitive pressures, which are believed to be related to our inability to eneaee technolorn - - in avurmriate .. . - transfer from kience" to the market place. Historically, technology transfer has been pictured as a h e a r progression from "pure" scienee (unfettered by practicality) through applied research, engineering, production, marketing, and a " t h i n. s sold to the . populace. The current administration has a . different view. Instead of assuring that the societal benefits of science and technology flow only from the last stages of the linear sequence of technolugy ttra~~~l'cr~urnmercial~zat~on--thry bellwe in a mwedlffuse mudrluf bcncfiLst h n r cmnn;,u. from each stage m thrs progression. The intimate relationship among and interdependenee of basic research, applied research, and technology are still acknow-
ledged, hut all are assumed to contribute to the national goals (vide supra). The point of view is established that it is aRen misleading by the Federal - to label a particular activitv. suovorted .. government as belonging uniquely to one category in the linear progression of science to commercialization. All are assumed essential contributors to the National strategic goals. I t appears that the Federal government is prepared to sponsor fundamental research a t a level commensurate with the national goals. The private sector investment in research is likely to remain heavily weighted tawards shorter term applied research and development-those activities that can be most directly related to a commercial return on private investment in the market place. The Administration's pasition is that the Federal investment must be used to further strengthen fundamental research, rebuild the science infrastructure, and strengthen longer term applied research and development. From the Administration's point of view, they are to provide the seed funds for the long t e r n health of the R&D enterprise which has a t one extrem-the beginning-perhaps esoteric pure research pmjects and a t the other-the end- commercial product. The Federal government believes it has a direct responsibility to support the beginning of the process and it wants to farm collahoratives with the private sector to develbo the end of the process. Clearly, there exists an ill-defined gray L e a in which the Federal government will attempt to exert a n influence, viz. goal 2 as defined ahove. The National Science Technology Council (NSTC), a cabinet level maup . chaired by the President, will be the Administration's principle instrument to instill coherence in the Federal research and development enterprise. The special responsibility of the Federal investment in sponsoring fundamental research derives from the fact that a t present industry has all but abandoned this activity, although there is a considerable effort in the develooment of votentiallv useful ideas that surface in fundamental research. Ifthe Federalgovernment does not sponsor fundamental research, no one will. That basic research is the rudder furdtvelupmcnt actwitwjisnot trolly an issue. Currently ahout 2 3 nfthc fundammtal "?search support comes from the Fed.. cral pwernmtnt. In rampanuon to about 1:I ofthe apphrd research and development suppun mcludinatllat dune in thedrtensesrcwr Only about 0.27% of the Gross ~ o m e s t i cProduct (GDP), which can he taken as a benchmark for total ewnomic activity, is applied to basic research. Clearly this is not suffcient. Representative George B r o w , an acknowledged "friend of seie n d has observed Over the last half century, we have achieved spectacular scientific and engineering accomplishments in the service of a Vigilant Society. We now need to enlist our science and technology in the service of a Humane Society where work is meaningful, families a r e served, children are well fed a n d well educated, where prevention is the first line of defense in health care, where the environment is respected and protected far future generations, and where sustainable development becomes the conscience of our progress. Vannevar Bush's vision of science as the endless frontier that has been expanded to the endless science contains strong components of education that should be the basis far our continual development to improve the processes of chemical education a t all levels. We should seize that opportunity. JJL
Volume 71 Number 11 November 1994
905
