During the past century, America reached the pinnacle of science and technology, thanks in no small measure to its immigrant spirit, diversity and genius for innovation. Today, however, Uncle Sam's position of strength can no longer be taken for granted, warn scientists like Vanderbilt's Ellen Wright Clayton. read more
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Winter 2009 - U.S. Science: Under the Gun
There are ominous signs that all is not well in the nation’s biomedical research enterprise.
Thanks to five years of flat budgets at the National Institutes of Health, which supports the bulk of basic biomedical research in the United States, young scientists increasingly are leaving university research labs or are leaving science altogether. read more
A new biomedical research metropolis in southern Singapore, dubbed a “scientific Emerald City,” is attracting scientists from around the world. While not a flood, it raises concerns about an American “brain drain.” read more
Vanderbilt’s Bill Stead worries that the United States is “drifting towards … a whole series of national-scale crises,” not only in health care, but in education, infrastructure, energy and the environment. “It’s not all about science,” he says. “It’s a much broader cultural problem… as a society we’ve really lost our ability to do anything important.” read article
Ask scientists how to revitalize the nation’s biomedical research enterprise, and they will give many answers: stop “yo-yo” funding of research, partner more with industry, invest in education. Ultimately what’s needed, they say, is leadership. read article
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