Other TSC News

University Research Contributing to a Safer America
Scientific research conducted at universities across the country is helping to make our nation safer and more secure. From nano-materials research to mine engineering, and plasma physics to differential reflectometry, and behavioral science to biosystems, science is at the core of the tools, technologies and policies that aim to keep us safe.
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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.: President, Stony Brook University
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.: President, Stony Brook University
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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Wallace Loh: President, University of Maryland
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Wallace Loh: President, University of Maryland
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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Allan Gilmour: President, Wayne State University
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Allan Gilmour, President, Wayne State University
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Boston Globe Opinion: Riding the innovation wave
THE FIRST step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation,’’ President Obama said to a concerned nation in his State of the Union address. Our nation has a remarkable record of rising from the ashes of crisis, and education and research in science and engineering have often led those revivals of prosperity and morale. Of the world’s top 20 research universities, the United States claims 17. As leaders of two, we know our institutions must play a central role in helping America to rebuild.
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Lexington Herald Opinion: Federal funding of research crucial
President Barack Obama has pledged to help the United States "reach a level of research and development we haven't seen since the height of the space race." That statement was music to my ears. Federally funded, university-based scientific research is the cornerstone of American innovation and an important economic driver.
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Tennessee Opinion Op Ed: America must renew its investment in innovation
President Barack Obama hosted winners of student science fairs at the White House on Monday, part of the lead-in to this weekend’s celebration of science on the National Mall. The USA Science and Engineering Festival, which also includes some 50 satellite events around the country, aims to engage and excite more than 1 million people nationwide.
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Boston Globe Op Ed: For future prosperity, sow seeds now
With the nation in the midst of the most job-killing recession in many decades, the US Senate should plant the seeds for the next generation of job-creating industries by reauthorizing the America COMPETES Act. This legislation aims to restore the nation’s capacity for innovation and industry-building by investing in math, science, and engineering education and in fundamental scientific research.
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Atlanta Business Chronicle Op-Ed: University research sparks economic growth
Why is the scientific research within Georgia’s universities so important to the health of our economy? A new national report from The Science Coalition provides at least one of the answers. University research, the majority of which is federally funded, creates innovation, new companies and jobs, and at the same time, trains the next generation of innovators.
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Washington Post: Blind Drivers Plot Their Own Course, Va. Tech Prototype Vehicle Lets Visually Impaired Students Take the Wheel
A voice rose above the chatter in the University of Maryland parking lot: "Blind man driving!" Twenty people took turns piloting a car on this muggy Friday morning, the first public test of technology that might one day overcome barriers to putting the blind behind the wheel.
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Space Race Launched America’s R&D Enterprise
Forty years ago, on July 20, 1969, the United States achieved an historic first when Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. Armstrong’s now famous words, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," fulfilled the challenge set out nearly a decade earlier by President John F. Kennedy to land a man on the moon.
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France A. Córdova and Shirley Ann Jackson: Take Lessons from Moon Walk and Apply Them Today
Writing in an op-ed on the U.S. News website, the presidents of two TSC member universities reflected on Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon and the impact they had on their own careers, as well as on the future course of the nation. France A. Córdova, president of Purdue University, and Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the space race was in actuality a “defense-based science race.” And, like it did in the 1960s, the United States today faces a major opportunity in science and public policy.
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On the Horizon: Cures for Diseases, “Holistic Reinvention” of Vehicles, Understanding the Human Brain
The Science Coalition asked university researchers across the country to reflect on the Apollo moon landing and share their thoughts about the next frontiers in science and what America must do to ensure that these scientific frontiers are reached. Their responses make clear that research in such areas as energy and climate change, curing human disease, understanding the human genome, and answering questions about the Universe are, indeed, leading us to new frontiers.
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Senator Kaufman Op-Ed: Spirit of Moon Landing Should Drive us Today
Forty years ago today Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the first human steps on the moon. It was, needless to say, a historic moment for the United States and the world.
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Science Coalition Lauds Recovery Bill’s Investment in Basic Research
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Barack Obama February 17, includes the largest increase in basic research funding in American history - $18 billion for the conduct of R&D and $3.5 billion for R&D facilities and capital equipment. The Science Coalition (TSC) appreciates the hard work by Speaker Pelosi, congressional leaders and members of the Obama Administration to ensure that funding for basic medical and scientific research was included in the final bill.
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Basic Research Supports Local Economies
Innovation fueled by basic research, much of it conducted at universities across the country and supported by the federal government, has been the cornerstone of the U.S. economy for more than the last half-century. It has led to the creation of countless companies, technologies and products. In many areas of the country, research universities also have an immediate and direct impact on the economy.
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U Penn and Intel Leaders Urge Congress to Let Innovation Reboot Economy
Intel Chairman Craig Barrett and University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann co-authored an op-ed in February making the case for strong funding for basic research as part of the nation’s economic recovery efforts.
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TSC Honors Representative Brad Miller (D-NC) for Commitment to Maintaining America’s Leadership in Basic Research
On January 31, The Science Coalition gave Congressman Brad Miller its “Champion of Science” award in recognition of his strong commitment and continued advocacy for basic research funding. Throughout his career as a North Carolina state and federal legislator, Congressman Miller has been an advocate for innovation and research in alternative energy.
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TSC Participates in Senate Briefing
On February 6, Barry Klein, Vice Provost of Research at University of California - Davis, participated in a briefing at the U.S. Capitol for staffers and high-tech industry professionals. The topic was “Jumpstarting the U.S. Economy through Innovation”. Klein, representing the Science Coalition, described the university perspective on the recovery package that was then under consideration in Congress. He explained that funding for university research is a “twofer” that produces jobs and also satisfies the urgent need for innovative scientific research.
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Guest Perspective: Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Rebuilding the Economy through Science, Engineering and Innovation
America’s economy is in crisis. But the financial crisis might prove to be an opportunity for America - if we respond by taking steps to once again lead the world by creating new, innovative industries, businesses and products. To do that, we must put science, engineering and innovation back in their rightful place in our economy.
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E&E News: Stimulus generates visions of sugarplums at U.S. research universities
A new day has dawned for schools of science and engineering, institutions long afflicted by a drought in funding and waning student interest.
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Sen. Kaufman, on Floor, Says America Needs Renewed Emphasis on Engineers and Science to Rebuild the Economy
Today’s economic crisis has presented America with an opportunity to rethink its commitment to engineering, science and innovation, as well as higher education so we better prepare future generations for the challenges to come, Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE) said today. In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Kaufman – the only Senator who holds a degree in engineering – outlined the need for a cultural shift away from Wall Street careers to innovating and building new industries, businesses and products.
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Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) Op-Ed: Want to rebuild the economy? Ask an engineer
America's economy is in crisis. We can either drown under the weight of the problem, or we can surf the wave of opportunity that it brings - to put science, engineering and innovation back in their rightful place in our economy. If every cloud has a silver lining, the financial crisis may benefit America if we respond by taking steps to once again lead the world by innovating new industries, businesses and products.
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Amy Gutmann & Craig Barrett Op-Ed: Rebooting the economy
Every day the economic news gets worse. In January more than 598,000 people lost their jobs. The national unemployment rate climbed to 7.6 percent. Business bankruptcies soared in 2008 and news of new filings continues. Congress is contemplating a nearly $1 trillion recovery bill to help America regain its economic footing.
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TSC's Letter to the New York Times
The Science Coalition's letter of response to the New York Times' "The First Test," by David Brooks.
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Op-ed: Basic research can pull America out of economic quagmire
The ascension of new American leadership always leads to a sense of change and the expectation that a new administration will initiate solid solutions to the most pressing problems that confront the nation.
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Nature: Science tipped to score in
The US research community stands to gain billions of dollars in funding, as Democratic leaders in Washington DC seek to lay the foundation for a greener, more competitive economy in a $750-billion stimulus package.
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University-Based Research Fueling 2008’s Top Life Science Innovations
Demonstrating that university-based research leads to innovation and important societal and economic benefits, four of The Scientist magazine’s “Top 10 Innovations of 2008” in the life sciences come from U.S. universities – all of which are Science Coalition members: the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, the University of California, Davis, and Harvard University.
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Research Spotlight: Developing New Energy Technologies
“Our country needs to act quickly with fiscal and regulatory policies to insure widespread deployment of effective technologies that maximize energy efficiency and minimize carbon emissions,” Energy Secretary designee Steven Chu said at a Science Coalition event last September. Other participants in that event included MIT President Susan Hockfield, DuPont Chief Science and Technology Officer Uma Chowdhry, and Intersil Corporation President, CEO and Director David Bell. They called for increased federal investment in basic energy research to ensure America’s energy independence and continued global innovation leadership.
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Popular Science “Brilliant Ten” Illustrate Value of Federal Investments in Basic Research
Popular Science recently released its Brilliant Ten issue—in which the editors publish their annual roundup of the most impressive young scientists in North America. The stories behind these young researchers help illustrate the importance of federal investment in university-based basic research. Most of the work behind their awards was made possible through federal research grants from agencies.
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TSC Op-Ed: Why Science Funding Matters To Worcester
The next President must solve tough problems — starting with the serious economic crisis the U.S. is facing. At first glance, science would seem to have little to do with the financial crisis. Why is science part of the solution to economic problems? And why is this state uniquely equipped to benefit from that solution?
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News Clips From Basic Research: Fueling America's Future Event
Read media commentary resulting from the Basic Research: Fueling America's Future event.
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Energy Science Coalition Petition Calls on Next President to Invest in Energy Basic Research
More than 70 organizations, including The Science Coalition, released a petition September 17 calling on the next president to lead the country out of the current energy crisis and toward energy security through a comprehensive program grounded in basic research. Representing America’s business, higher education and scientific communities, the petition signers argue that with the proper commitment, organization and funding, the U. S. can lead the world in developing and deploying new, sustainable energy solutions. “No nation is better equipped than the United States to lead the development of the energy advances that will meet not only our future energy needs but those of the entire world …”
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Government Must Prime the Research Pump, MIT President Says in Washington Post Op-Ed
On the heels of her Capitol Hill testimony, MIT President Susan Hockfield authored an op-ed in the Washington Post in which she reiterated her call for urgent government action on energy.
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TSC Op-Ed: Nation needs investment in scientific research
The next president must solve tough problems for all Americans — how to pay for health care, how to keep energy costs manageable, how to educate young people for work in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
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Washington Post: Reimagining Energy
Almost 70 years ago, as Germany invaded France, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received an urgent visit from Vannevar Bush, then chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and formerly vice president and dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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U Minnesota’s Bruininks: Higher Ed and Research Must Be Front and Center in Campaign 2008
The competitiveness of the United States and our comparative advantage as a country depend on the U.S. maintaining the strength of our higher education system and investing in research, University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks told C-SPAN viewers prior to the start of the Republican Convention. As a guest on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” August 30, Bruininks provided his perspective on the role of higher education in the presidential campaign. “Higher education should be front and center as a political issue in this campaign. We are in a global economy where intellectual capital and achievement in innovation are going to be the ingredients that help the U.S. compete,” he said.
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Federal Funding for Basic Research Gives Rise to Promising Energy Startup
First, University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiology professor Susan Leschine discovered a microbe that would break down leaves and plant fibers into ethanol. Then, she was persuaded to commercialize it. But Leschine says that was not an easy decision. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was start a company," she recalled in a Washington Post interview in October 2007.
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St. Louis Dispatch: Nation needs more engineers, scientists
After the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite in the late 1950s, President John F. Kennedy called the nation to act, to produce the engineers and scientists needed to compete.
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Bloomington Herald-Times Op-Ed: Basic research the key to hopeful future
Imagine your child has leukemia, but there is no chemotherapy to treat it. Imagine your father has a brain disorder, but there is no magnetic resource imaging (MRI) technology to detect or diagnose it. Imagine your friends are lost deep in the wilderness, but there is no Global Positioning System (GPS) technology available to pinpoint their location.
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USA Today: Advice from the Top: University research helps USA compete
The Bayh-Dole Act was enacted 27 years ago, but the ramifications persist to this day. The act lets universities patent and commercialize inventions that come from federally funded research. It has gradually turned universities into incubators for breakthroughs in technology and medicine.
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The Politico: Science groups want war cash
With Congress entangled in another tussle over funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s easy to miss the universities, tech companies and scientists lobbying for a relatively small pot of money to finance scientific research they say is critical to maintaining America’s technological edge.
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The Courier-Journal Op-Ed: The U.S. economy desperately needs a transfusion, and Kentucky is no exception
Gas prices are spiraling out of control with motorists paying nearly $4 per gallon. Hard-working families are losing their homes because they cannot afford their mortgage payments. And Kentuckians have to struggle to find high-paying jobs.
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Boston Globe Op-Ed: Gaining ground on cancer
In 1971, President Nixon launched the War on Cancer, with the optimistic goal of defeating the disease in eight years with $100 million. More than 35 years and $79 billion later, the war is far from won. While 2002 marked the first-ever yearly decline in US cancer deaths, more than 40 percent of Americans will still contract cancer in their lifetime. What's more, although effective therapies have emerged for some cancers, other types stubbornly resist therapy, and many patients find treatment itself debilitating.
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Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) Op-Ed: Halt U.S. educational erosion
On Tuesday, I met with the presidents of some of America's most prestigious universities to discuss ways to improve our nation's global competitiveness.There is a growing consensus that America's future prosperity is threatened by an erosion in our educational capabilities. Compared with children in other countries, our nation's students are underperforming in the vitally important fields of science, technology, engineering and math. These are areas of expertise that spur creativity and new technologies, which are essential for economic growth.
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Graduate Students Feel the Funding Squeeze
An article in the Boston Globe last month described the plight of a nuclear physics student who worked at Cornell’s linear accelerator and halfway through a doctorate in quantum optics his adviser’s grant money ran out. With no job and no funding, he was forced to reconsider his career options. This scenario is not unique. It is playing out at university research facilities around the country. And, each time grant money is lost, the ripple effect is felt far beyond the original grantee.
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Boston Globle Column: Investing in the nation's future
IN MUMBAI last November, I addressed a conference of India's leading CEOs. Their interests had a single focus: What makes the American system of higher education such a powerful force for US prosperity? It was not an idle question, as India builds economic momentum. From 12,000 miles away, they understood something easy to lose sight of here at home, that this country's distinctively open, varied, and competitive system of higher education has served both as an escalator of individual social mobility and as an engine of our country's economic growth. Can we afford not to continue to invest in the future of our people and our nation?
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Chicago Tribune: Future science needs aid now
When I started hearing rumors last year that Congress might cut the high-energy physics budget, I never dreamed that it would be as bad as the whisperings suggested.
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Forbes Commentary: America The Unconventional
Even the most decent, charismatic or bold politicians tend to adhere to conventional wisdom and conventional prescriptions in addressing America's economic future. In doing so, they miss the point that it is the unconventional that has driven America's recent success, and the unconventional that must drive our future success.
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Daily Herald Editorial: Unwise retreat in funding research
We turn the key in the ignition, and the car starts up. When our rooms grow dark, we flip the switch, and the lights go on. When we want to relax, we turn on our TV sets, and hundreds of channels are available for our entertainment. We take all this for granted, never thinking about how these amenities came to be. It all started with research.
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News & Observer Editorial: No place to cut
Basic research in the physical sciences helps build a foundation. It can lead to progress in health care, in protecting the environment, in more efficient food production. And thanks to foolish, shortsighted budget cuts (omissions, really) by Congress, universities are facing crises in getting the money to advance such research.
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Chicago Tribune Editorial: Sacrificing science
When it comes to supporting basic scientific research with federal dollars, President Bush and members of Congress talk the talk. Last summer, they passed a law affirming the primacy of federally funded science in maintaining U.S. economic competitiveness.
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The Science Coalition Joins the Call to Congress to Act Quickly on Innovation
On March 13th, The Science Coalition, along with more than 270 business and higher education leaders signed The American Innovation Proclamation, urging Congress to take swift and immediate action to bolster U.S. innovation.
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Eight TSC Members release a report on America's Scientific and Medical Progress Threatened by Flat Funding for NIH
On Monday, March 19, 2007 Eight TSC Members released a report on America's Scientific and Medical Progress Threatened By Flat Funding for NIH.
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Science Coalition releases latest ad to appear in Roll Call newspaper
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Memo from TSC to Editorial Writers
Of the many items remaining on Congress’s legislative agenda before it adjourns for the 2006 elections, advancing American competitiveness should be a top priority.
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