Keeping America Competitive

ASEE Prism, Apr 2006 by Grose, Thomas K

GATHERING STORM

Economic threats from India and China are forcing the U.S. to take action on science and technology.

MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, they're duly released-usually in tandem with a press conference to help generate some publicity -then promptly forgotten, their recommendations ignored, regardless of merit. But last October, when the National Academies of Science (NAS) released a 500-page report that starkly warned that America was in danger of losing its competitive edge in the global economy, in part because it was underfunding research and development in the physical sciences and engineering, something odd happened. Lawmakers and the White House not only took notice - they took action.

The NAS's "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future," which was written by a panel of top academics, industry leaders and policy-makers, certainly was the prime motivation behind the American Competitiveness Initiative, proposed by President Bush in his State of the Union address. The initiative would spend $136 billion over 10 years on programs aimed at supporting innovation. And legislation proposed by two Republicans (Sens. Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee) and two Democrats (Sens. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland) would implement all 20 of the report's recommendations.

"Gathering Storm's" emphasis on the need for more basic research in the physical sciences and engineering also struck a chord with the Board of Directors of the American Society for Engineering Education, which took the unusual step of endorsing its findings. Says Ronald Barr, ASEE president: "In endorsing the 'Storm' report, ASEE is on record that we agree with the report and we agree that something must be done. More importantly, ASEE's long-range planning is now oriented not just at parochial issues that affect the organization but more importantly at the bigger national imperatives that affect engineering and technology education in America. Thus, ASEE is entering a more strategic era of its own."

"Gathering Storm" argues that a strong economy is essential to America's quality of life and security. It notes that 85 percent of the growth in U.S. per capita income resulted from technological change. But it warns that the "science and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding," while those of competing nations are strengthening. The United States, it says, faces two key challenges: creating high-quality jobs and developing new, clean and affordable energy. Among its main recommendations: increasing federal funding for long-term basic research (particularly in the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, information sciences and defense) by 10 percent a year for seven years; vastly improving K-12 science and math education; abetting U.S. universities' efforts to recruit the world's top science and math students; and changing tax and patent laws so that America remains the best place in which to innovate.

Bush's initiative includes doubling basic R&D spending over the next decade, which means an additional $50 billion in new spending; making permanent the R&D tax credit; and the training of an extra 70,000 high school science and math teachers. Meanwhile, the bipartisan quartet of senators has proposed the PACE Act (as in protect America's competitive edge), a three-bill package that would implement all of "Gathering Storm's" recommendations. And other lawmakers have introduced additional measures to improve science and math teaching. "None of it is law yet," Barr notes, "but there appears to be a good deal of optimism that, at least, the Bush administration is hearing the alarm go off." Moreover, given widespread, cross-party support for such action, it appears that this is one alarm Washington won't ignore. -TG