The U.S. sorely needs a coordinated national research strategy, says Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
In a first-ever “State of the Science” address at the end of June, National Academy of Sciences president Marcia McNutt warned that the U.S. was ceding its global scientific leadership to other countries—highlighting China in particular. McNutt, a widely respected geophysicist, said this slippage could make it harder for the U.S. to maintain the strength of its economy andprotect its national security. She also laid out a provisional plan of action to reverse the decline.
“U.S. science is perceived to be—and is—losing the race for global STEM leadership,” McNutt said. A country’s strength in science, she argued, shapes its defense capacities as well as its ability to spread its values abroad. Public math and science proficiency fell during the 1980s as well, bringing fewer Americans into the STEM workforce.
McNutt recommended that schools nurture students’ innate curiosity for science and use technologies such as AI to ease the teaching burden. Too often, she said, students in large classes are taught to view science as a collection of facts rather than a process of discovery. Wolinetz, too, views the decision not to call for more funding as a shrewd tactical one. “As critical as continued and increasing investment in research is, it should be a means to an end,” she emphasizes. “Step one is: What’s the bold vision of science we’re trying to create as a country? I do believe if we build it, will come.”
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