Examples of Science in the National Interest from Recent OSTP Report
Interspersed throughout the 31-page report recently released by the Office of Science and Technology Policy are examples of science in the national interest, which is also the title of the document. Early on in the report, the authors state, “Vibrant scientific disciplines are best guaranteed by the initiatives of talented investigators and in turn provide the strongest and most enduring foundation for science in the national interest. That quantum theory would lead to today’s electronics, or investigations of DNA structure to genetic engineering, could not be anticipated. Countless examples could be provided; the few which accompany this statement are tangible evidence of inspiration, promise, and improved quality of life for our citizens. We can be confident that our children and grandchildren will look back at today’s fundamental science and its ultimate benefit with the same surprise and appreciation that we experience today.”
Some of the physics-related examples are as follows:
”...the GPS system depends on computer chips, miniaturized radio receivers, and- especially- ultra-precise atomic clocks.... Atomic clocks were not, of course, invented with such an application in mind. In fact, they arose from efforts to answer fundamental questions about the nature of the universe. Testing the basic laws of physics, such as Einstein’s theory of general relativity, turned out to require much more accurate clocks than were available 30 years ago. So university physicists set out to develop them, and succeeded both in verifying Einstein’s predictions and in making major advances in the technology of time-keeping. Outside of physics, no great need for ultra-precise clocks was foreseen; but, as so often happens, the advance opened up unpredictable opportunities.”
”... Then an improbable-seeming third form of carbon was discovered: a hollow cluster of 60 carbon atoms shaped like a soccer ball. Buckminsterfullerene or `buckyballs’...is the roundest, most symmetrical large molecule known.... Speculation and some hard work on potential applications began almost immediately after the discovery of buckyballs. Possible applications of interest to industry include optical devices; chemical sensors and chemical separation devices; production of diamonds and carbides as cutting tools or hardening agents; batteries and other electrochemical applications, including hydrogen storage media; drug delivery systems and other medical applications; polymers, such as new plastics; and catalysts.... Yet it is important to note that the discovery of this curious molecule and its cousins was serendipitous, made in the course of fundamental experiments aimed at understanding how long-chain molecules are formed in outer space.”
“The true origins of the information superhighway, in fact, include fundamental research on the physics of surfaces in the late 1940s that led to transistors, obscure university work on microwave oscillators in the early 1950s that led to lasers, and a speculative suggestion in an academic journal in the mid-1960s that led to optical fibers. Such research, if proposed today, would be hard to distinguish from hundreds of similar basic research proposals. Yet it produced the seeds of a revolutionary technology that is likely to transform homes and workplaces alike.”
“Over the ages, physicians have sought a means of seeing inside the human body without cutting it open. Fundamental discoveries in physics have given us first x-rays and then the more modern diagnostic methods of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron-electron tomography (PET), contributing to remarkable advances in medical research.... The development of MRI is illustrative of the often complex path to major new technologies. It began as basic research in nuclear physics-- in particular, the curious fact that the nuclei of most atoms behave as though they have a tiny magnet attached to them.... Yet MRI also depends on a number of technologies that evolved separately but in parallel with the basic science, and it was the combination of these with the fundamental physics that made MRI possible.”
“The computing revolution is dramatically transforming virtually every aspect of our society-- our work, our play, even our national security. This revolution started with the discovery of the transistor, the result of fundamental research in solid state physics and the earlier development of quantum theory. The next stage, development of complex microchips incorporating many transistors, drew from fundamental work in physics, chemistry, and materials science.... These advances in computing technology draw heavily on fundamental science. But science and technology are closely intertwined: the technology is also driving forward the frontiers of science- ushering in new fields of research and extending the limits of inquiry in virtually all fields- which will in turn enable new technology.”
See FYI #127 for information on obtaining a copy of the full report electronically.
