Last week, immediately before a candid hearing before the House Science Committee, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), along with his congressional colleagues Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL), announced plans to hold a national “Innovation Summit” later this year. Leaders from the National Association of Manufacturing, the Council on Competitiveness, the Business Roundtable, the American Electronics Association and George Mason University were also present.
Soon after, a committee went before Congress to espouse the idea that the federal government has shifted its focus away from long-term research in IT, which has been so vital to America's prowess in defense and essential to a robust economy. More on this can be found here:
http://news.taborcommunications.com/msgget.jsp?mid=381950&xsl=story.xsl [M381950]
Though no solid plans for the summit have been announced yet, there is a growing sense that such a meeting needs to take place.
“Last week I met with a leading group of scientists and posed this question: Do you think we – the United States – are doing okay when it comes to science and innovation, are we in a stall or are we in a decline?” said Wolf.
“None said we were doing 'okay.' About 40 percent said we were in a stall and the remainder – 60 percent – said we were in decline,” he continued.
“I asked the executive board of a prominent high-tech association the same question on Tuesday. They all said we were in decline.”
A stall or a decline — either way, there seems to be a widening agreement that America's leadership in these areas is shaky, he said.
Wolf also pointed out that the number of patents and Nobel prizes awarded to American scientists, as well as the number of published papers from American scientists, is dipping.
Wolf and his colleagues hope to bring this issue to the attention of the average citizen. Such a decrease in this type of work and research could have profound effects on America's economy and national security.
“The time has come to sound the alarm,” said Wolf.
“That's why we worked to included language in the recently passed supplemental appropriations bill directing the secretary of Commerce to work with groups like NAM, AeA, the Business Roundtable, the Council on Competitiveness and others to put on a national conference this fall in Washington to begin focusing like a laser beam on this issue,” he continued.
Money for the conference will come from appropriated funds. No additional cost was added to the supplemental to finance the conference.
Wolf went on to discuss the importance of speed in bringing the conference together. He said that time is “of the essence,” but that America's track record of rising to the occasion is somewhat comforting. Such endeavors, though, are rarely achieved without the support of the President.
“Last week, I wrote the president encouraging him to triple the nation's investment in innovation over the next decade. I understand the difficult budget environment the nation is facing, but I sincerely believe that bold leadership from the White House could help establish innovation as a national priority,” Wolf commented.
“We need to make certain that America continues to be the innovation leader of the world. 'Second best' does not sit well with America. I want my children and grandchildren to live in an America where we are still the world's leader when it comes to science and innovation. I want my children and grandchildren to live in an America where we return to the Moon and are the first to Mars. I want to live in an America where children have heroes like Chuck Yeager, John Glenn Neil Armstrong and other explorers,” said Wolf.
He also pushed for the need to make science math important to young students. Wolf said that education in this area has to start as early as elementary school to cement interest and curiosity.
Wolf touted the “JASON” project, for example, which is a web-based science course allowing children to explore the ocean floor and introduces critical concepts of algebra, trigonometry and other math/science topics.
His description of the program's effect is a powerful one:
“Last fall, I got a call from Dr. Ballard's staff [JASON developers] asking me to come introduce him at Rachel Carson Middle School, an intermediate school in my District near Dulles Airport. I said sure, but didn't think many people would come. It was set for a date in late October and ultimately turned out to be last night of the World Series.
“When my wife and I pulled into the parking lot we couldn't find a place to park. I thought maybe there was a basketball game or some other meeting that night. Was I ever wrong. The place was packed to the rafters and the kids were just completely mesmerized. I got hooked, too,” he admitted.
Though Wolf admitted that tripling the nation's investment in science and technology is aggressive, he did not back down from its importance.
“Failure is not an option,” he concluded.
HPCwire will continue to report on the conference as details develop.