The (Science) World Is Flat

I just saw a lecture hosted by one of my favorite Pacific NW organizations, the Forum on Science Ethics and Policy. Dr. Neal Lane, former NSF Director and science advisor to President Clinton, outlined the post-WWII history of U.S. government investment in science and explained how our cutting edge is being lost to rising stars in Asia.

Borrowing from The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman, Dr. Lane listed the major reasons for America's ongoing scientific decline:

(1) Too little government investment in science
$63 billion may sound like a lot, but it's less than 2.5% of our federal budget, the vast majority of which goes to interest on the national debt, defense, social security, medicare, and medicaid. Private industry spends twice as much on research and development.

(2) Too few people in science
Although practically everyone I know at the postdoc level is deeply skeptical about future job prospects, Dr. Lane insisted that we will not be able to recruit enough talent as time goes on, mostly because

(3) Too few U.S. citizens understand science
That's right, our science and math education sucks here relative to the rest of the developed world - our kids may feel good, but they know almost nothing. For example, only 50% of Americans know that it takes the Earth one year to go around the sun. And Asia is really building up its own academic infrastructure these days, so we're not going to be such a coveted destination for foreign talent pretty soon.

(4) Too much ideology
Dr. Lane didn't need to go into too much detail here - from teaching creationism in science classes to prohibiting stem cell research on embryos that would otherwise be tossed out by fertility clinics, I think we all know what he meant.

(5) Too much politics
Even when the vast majority of scientists agree, special interests can drum up "controversy" to cast doubt on our findings or impede citizens and government from taking action. Prime example: manmade climate change.

(6) Public confidence in science is fragile
The good news is, Americans generally approve of government spending on scientific research. The bad news is, they don't understand it, they don't necessarily appreciate the return on their investment, and it's not a high priority on the federal budget when push comes to shove. And that's OUR FAULT for failing to educate and connect with the public.

George Brown (CA) urged us to become "civic scientists" and get involved in the political process. This is all the more important at a time when the basic liberties of inquiry are threatened. As Einstein said in 1950, "Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." That freedom, born of relative wealth and the Constitution, is the one advantage we have over Asia Rising... for now.