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tion the country's "number one priority." They urge that the academies' National Science Education Standards be adopted as the basis for improving teaching, meth ods of assessment, and school systems. The presidents also say the U.S. gov ernment is spending too little on re search "that generates new knowledge and technologies." And, they add, the country is being hurt by failure of the government to "prioritize its investment in science and engineering research, and oping to play a more dominant role on the public policy stage. "What we do by not insisting universally on a compet in science, technology, and public here is try to avoid repeating the mis itive merit review process." The statement further points to the in policy, three of the country's most takes of the past," he says. "We should prestigious scientific, engineering, and be making better use of what we know, sufficiently tapped potential of the social medical bodies last week sent policymak and this is what these exercises are all and behavioral sciences as guides to policy decisions. "The behavioral and social sci ers six guides that outline how the U.S. about." should prepare for the next century. The academy initiative represents a ences," the statement says, "have made In a policy statement that accompa stepping out of sorts by Alberts, who great strides in contributing to a better un nied the documents, the heads of the Na came to Washington to head NAS three derstanding of human behavior. But this tional Academy of Sciences (NAS), the years ago amid doubts that he possessed research continues to be poorly appreciat National Academy of Engineering (ΝΑΕ), enough political breadth to fill the shoes ed and under used, both by the public and and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) out of his two immediate predecessors, elected officials." lined four issues they declared to be "im Frank Press and Philip Handler. At first, Another priority item is health care. portant to the science and engineering Alberts concentrated on what was his The progress that has been made in con enterprise" and the national good. most comfortable subject, elementary trolling costs of health care needs to be matched with increases The four issues are science, math, and in the quality of health technology education; declines in re care, which has not kept search funding; underutilization of the up. Thus, the statement social and behavioral sciences; and the says, it is urgent that uncontrolled growth of health care spend health care providers be ing. The academy heads also say the gov assessed for effectiveness, ernment should act to raise, not decrease, and it calls for improving federal science and engineering budgets, the system by which in even as Congress and the Administration formation on quality is work to balance the federal budget by assembled and used. 2002. NRC staffers spent a The guides, each no more than nine lot of time distilling the pages long, cull the main points from original individual re about 100 National Research Council ports, and the academies (NRC) reports issued since 1990. They car Alberts (left): never look for Immediate responses; are hoping the project ry the titles "Science and Engineering Re Wulf: reports more compelling when linked together goes over well with Con search in a Changing World,'' "Focusing on Quality in a Changing Health Care Sys and secondary science education. Over gress and the Clinton Administration. tem,'' "Technology and the Nations Fu the past year, however, he has embraced More than 5,000 mailings are going out to ture,'' "Challenges Facing a Changing Soci international science and technology is groups and individuals that form the coun ety,'' "The Environment and the Human sues and says he wants what he calls the try's decision-making elite. In addition, Future," and "The Education Imperative." "academy complex" to be more "proac meetings and workshops are being planned for members of Congress. Some skeptics see these reports as tive" in engaging national issues. H. Guyford Stever, a former National Sci warmed-over reissues of studies that no Alberts admits many of the reports are longer qualify as "news." But the presi old, but contends they are hardly dated. ence Foundation director and head of dents of NAS, ΝΑΕ, and IOM see them as He says he never looks for "immediate NRC's public policy unit, oversees the syn "syntheses" casting new light on some responses" to the studies NRC produces thesis project. Deborah Stine is the project of the most important issues facing the anyway. "Things happen slowly," he officer. James Jensen, head of NRC's con country. The studies, contends ΝΑΕ Pres says. For example, Alberts notes, "repeal gressional and government affairs office, is ident William A. Wulf, "are more com ing the Delaney amendment was suggest running the outreach activities. The academies have put the reports on pelling when linked together than when ed in a 1989 report." Congress didn't ac looked at individually." tually repeal this amendment, which the World Wide Web at http://www2. NAS President Bruce Alberts says the called for zero tolerance of carcinogens nas.edu/21st. "We're putting a lot of effort into making them more accessible," says reports represent a new thrust for the in processed foods, until 1996. In their policy statement, the three Alberts. academies toward leveraging what they Wil Lepkowski produce and magnifying their visibility presidents say they want to make educa
SCIENCE POLICY PRIORITIES
Academies map science, technology terrain for the 21st century
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FEBRUARY 3, 1997 C&EN
