National Academy of Sciences debates how science can serve society

The National Academy of Sciences made public the proceedings of a symposium that explored whether U.S. innovation needs an update much like the creation of a blueprint for scientific research through Vannevar Bush’s report Science: The Endless Frontier, 75 years ago.

"I think it's important not only that we invest in research, but we also lead with our American values, which is the value of openness and, and discovery and creativity and we can really be a world leader,” Kelvin Droegemeier of the National Science Board told the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

The National Academy of Sciences hosted the symposium early in 2020 with top academic, business and government leaders in a debate on the future of science policy and how it can serve in the 21st century.

Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, said the stakes are high, though no one knows what the next 75 years might bring. Institutions must be more responsive and nimble, she said, the National Academy of Sciences reported. Diversity and inclusion need to be encouraged.

"We need a national strategy, to invest in basic scientific research, because the fruit of that research can transform the way we live our lives. The American Competes Act, which was legislation adopted by the Congress to make sure that we remained at the cutting edge in terms of technologies, was born out of a study done at the National Academy of Sciences,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said, the National Academy of Sciences reported.

The event was held in partnership with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Kavli. The nation’s universities gained government support for basic research and innovation with Bush’s Endless Frontier, which is credited for driving U.S. prosperity, health and national security.

The summary that was released examines responding to changes in the research enterprise, evolving the partnership of government and universities, communicating science and connecting basic research for economic growth.

“We should trust our past experiences, and invest in the best minds, to think in different ways. And so the question is, how can we stimulate society? How can we stimulate young people to take an orthogonal point of view and somehow make the breakthroughs that we truly need?” Robbert Dijkgraaf, director of the Institute for Advanced Study and Leon Levy Professor, said, the NAS reported.