Nobel Laureates Press for Science Funding

At a well-attended press conference last week, five new American Nobel Laureates expressed grave concern about the current and future direction of science funding in the United States. Appearing were physicists David Lee, Robert Richardson, and Douglas Osheroff, and chemists Robert Curl and Richard Smalley. All had received at least partial support from the National Science Foundation.

Smalley began by relating how during his youth, science and technology were very “romantic,” with the United States investing considerable resources to meet the challenges posed by the Soviet space program. That has now changed, he said, pointing to how difficult it can be to secure research funding. He spoke of an “insidious decay” in the U.S. scientific infrastructure over the last ten years that will not be apparent for another ten years. He listed several large American corporations that have dramatically reduced their support for basic research, cautioning that the effects which this will have are as yet unknown. Smalley said that a whole new class of basic discoveries are needed to form the basis for the development of new technologies.

These remarks were echoed by Curl, who said that “basic research is in trouble in this country.” The reasons for the decline are unclear, Curl adding that we are “eating our own seed corn.” He was particularly alarmed by the notion that “it’s all done” -- that there are no more important discoveries to be made.

Osheroff noted the importance of NSF support to his research. He explained that at one time the United States supported science almost as a religion. That has changed, he declared, claiming that the “U.S. public and Congress know and appreciate very little about basic science.” He called for a commitment by the United States to reinvestment in research.

With the presidential election only weeks away, Richardson said it was “remarkable” how “invisible” science and technology issues had been in campaign rhetoric. He called for an environment that would be favorable to discoveries useful to future generations.

Lee spoke of how science is intertwined like a web, and warned against excising parts of it, even if their immediate relevance is not apparent. He later warned that the education of America’s children is in trouble, with many feeling science and technology are “not for me.”

The five Nobelists discussed varying degrees of past interactions with Members of Congress. They ranged from little or no contact to more extensive written and verbal communications. The Nobelists recognized the need to describe in clearer terms breakthrough research, and the importance of a strong investment in science to the United States. That will be of particular importance when the 105th Congress convenes in early January, with many new representatives and senators.