More than 100 college presidents, private citizens and politicians signed an open letter printed in national newspapers last week that encouraged the government to increase funding for science and engineering research to maintain America’s competitiveness in the world markets.
Signed by influential figures such as Gov. Mitt Romney, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and the presidents of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and many other colleges, the letter came just weeks after George W. Bush delivered a State of the Union address calling for increased international competitiveness in sciences and math.
Representatives from MIT, Boston College and Northeastern University, all of which had signatories sign the letter, declined to comment because the said they did not know the contents of the letter, and Harvard could not be reached for comment.
“I propose to double the federal commitment to the most critical research programs in the physical sciences,” Bush said. “This funding will support the work of America’s most creative minds as they explore promising areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing and alternative energy sources.”
The letter, though written before the State of the Union, urges the President to keep his word and include a program in the national budget that will give more funding to these areas.
“To remain at the forefront, America must increase investments in basic research, improve math and science education, provide incentives for research and development and attract and retain the brightest minds from all around the globe,” the letter stated.
The National Academy of Science, in an executive summary focusing on issues facing the U.S. economy, and urged the United States to optimize its educational resources in order to remain one of the most dominant nations in the world.
“Thanks to globalization, workers in every sector must now face competitors who live just a mouse-click away in Ireland, China, India and dozens of other nations whose economies are growing,” the committee wrote. “The United States must compete by optimizing its knowledge-based resources, particularly in science and technology.”
Committee members also found that increasing funding in private and public sectors for science and math education is vital to the economy in the long run.
Maryanne Murphey, a representative from For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, emphasized the importance of keeping American children interested in science.
“The goal of our program is to keep students interested in science and technology by making it fun and exciting,” Murphey said. “We do feel that society celebrates the achievement of sports and entertainment much more than science and technology. The advancements of science, if supported by our best minds, will solve a lot of society’s problems.”
FIRST is multinational non-profit organization that was founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter, according to the groups’ website.