WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences today released a new proceedings of a symposium that explored whether the modern research architecture that fuels U.S. innovation needs to be reconfigured to meet the challenges of our time. The symposium, held on Feb. 26 at the National Academy of Sciences, gathered top business, academic, and government leaders to debate the future of science policy in the U.S. and how it can best serve society in the 21st century.

The event was held in partnership with The Kavli Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to mark the 75th anniversary of the publication of Vannevar Bush’s seminal report Science: The Endless Frontier, which created a blueprint for U.S. scientific research in the post-World War II era. It empowered government support for innovation and basic research at the nation’s universities and the policies that ultimately drove U.S. prosperity, health, and national security.

The summary examines the future of pathways to leadership in science, how to respond to changes in the research enterprise, communicating science, the evolution of the government-university partnership, and connecting basic research with economic growth in the decades to come. It draws on remarks from luminaries such as:

• Alan Alda, founder, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University
• Norman Augustine, former chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
• France Córdova, former director, National Science Foundation
• Shirley Ann Jackson, president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard University
• Rafael Reif, president, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In her opening remarks, Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that while no one knows what changes the next 75 years might bring, “The stakes are high.” She added, “We need to find ways to make all of our institutions, including my own, more responsive and nimble in a fast-moving world. We must ask if we are doing enough to inspire, nurture, and cultivate our young people. We have to encourage diversity and inclusion and create an informed citizenry that values decision-making and policies based on science and evidence.”

Contact:
Megan Lowry, Media Officer
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

• A recording of the event held Feb. 26, 2020, and other resources