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2021 Projects, Publications & Meetings of the Ƶ

Science, Engineering, and Technology

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Science, Engineering & Technology

The Ƶ’s record of distinction in Science, Engineering, and Technology dates to its founding mission “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” Rather than generate new scientific research, the role of the Ƶ has been uniquely interdisciplinary, bridging the social sciences and arts with the physical sciences to support a national understanding, belief, and trust in science and discovery. Perhaps no better example of this can be found than in the mid-1800s when the Ƶ hosted hotly contested debates about a new scientific theory: the theory of evolution.

Ƶ projects in Science, Engineering, and Technology seek to strengthen the capacity of science and engineering to improve the human condition. This goal has never been more important for the nation or for the world than it is today. Global challenges increasingly require collaboration across disciplinary, professional, and national boundaries, while rapid advances in information processing and transmission raise new issues for both the management of scientific and technical information and for the ability of individuals and institutions to assimilate and act on new discoveries.
 

Program Advisory Committee
 

CHAIRS

Alan Leshner
formerly, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Geraldine L. Richmond
University of Oregon



MEMBERS

Nancy C. Andrews
Duke University School of Medicine

Mary Beckerle
University of Utah

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Emery Brown
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital

Claude Canizares
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Clark
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Wayne Clough
Georgia Institute of Technology; formerly, Smithsonian Institution

Robert Horvitz
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Leah Jamieson
Purdue University

Cora Marrett
National Science Foundation

James Simons
Simons Foundation

Jeannette Wing
Columbia University

 


 

Project

Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships

CISP

Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships (CISP) articulates the benefits of international collaboration and recommends solutions to the most pressing challenges associated with the design and operation of international partnerships. This initiative identifies policy recommendations and best practices to mitigate challenges for international science collaborations, including physical facilities, distributed networks, and peer-to-peer partnerships. The project released its first report, America and the International Future of Science, in December 2020.

The Large-Scale Science (LSS) working group approaches international collaborations through the lens of issues particular to large-scale science, not peer-to-peer or small-scale international work. This group has been tasked with exploring how the United States can enhance its role in these partnerships, both in physical facilities (such as CERN) and distributed networks (such as the Human Cell Atlas). This group is focusing on recommendations that will bolster U.S. ability to partake in large-scale collaboration efforts as meaningful and engaged partners. The report from this working group, Bold Ambition: International Large-Scale Science, was published in spring 2021.

The Emerging Science Partners (ESP) working group explores issues particular to U.S. scientific collaborations at all scales with countries seeking to boost their scientific capacity, particularly those with limited resources to do so. This working group frames discussions around how the United States can be a better collaborator in its partnerships with emerging science partner countries and work to increase equity in these collaborations. The report from this working group, Global Connections: Emerging Science Partners, was released in fall 2021.
 

Project Chairs
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

 

Large-Scale Science
Working Group Chairs

 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

 

Emerging Science Partners
Working Group Chairs

 

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Olufunmilayo Olopade
University of Chicago

 

Steering Committee
 

Claude R. Canizares
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Matthias Hentze
European Molecular Biology Laboratory

John Hildebrand
University of Arizona

Kerri-Ann Jones
formerly, Pew Charitable Trusts

William Lee
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Cherry Murray
University of Arizona

Venkatesh (“Venky”) Narayanamurti
Harvard University

Olufunmilayo Olopade
University of Chicago

Geraldine Richmond
University of Oregon

Vaughan Turekian
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Caroline Wagner
The Ohio State University

 

Large-Scale Science
Working Group

 

Arthur Bienenstock, Cochair
Stanford University

Peter Michelson, Cochair
Stanford University

Claude R. Canizares
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

E. William Colglazier
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Inez Fung
University of California, Berkeley

Michael Holland
University of Pittsburgh

Kaye Husbands Fealing
Georgia Institute of Technology

Cherry Murray
University of Arizona

Philip Rubin
Yale University

Gary Sanders
California Institute of Technology

Diane Souvaine
Tufts University

 

Emerging Science Partners
Working Group

 

Shirley Malcom, Cochair
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Olufunmilayo Olopade, Cochair
University of Chicago

Bruce Alberts
University of California, San Francisco

Bernard Amadei
University of Colorado Boulder

Arthur Bienenstock, ex officio
Stanford University

Jared Cohon
Carnegie Mellon University

Rita R. Colwell
University of Maryland

James W. Curran
Emory University

Ali Douraghy
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (concluded participation on January 19, 2021)

Nina Dudnik
Seeding Labs

Mohamed Hassan
The World Ƶ of Sciences

John G. Hildebrand
University of Arizona

Nkem Khumbah
University of Michigan

Peter Michelson, ex officio
Stanford University

Peggy Oti-Boateng
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Jamil Salmi
Diego Portales University

Flavia Schlegel
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Vaughan Turekian
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Caroline Wagner
The Ohio State University

 

Project Staff
 

Tania Munz
Chief Program Officer

Islam Qasem
John E. Bryson Program Director

Amanda Vernon
Program Officer & Hellman Fellow in Science and Technology Policy

Rebecca Tiernan
Program Associate

Jen Smith
Program Coordinator

 

Funders
 

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
 

Project Publications
 

2020-CISP-Report-1.jpg

America and the International Future of Science (Ƶ, 2020)






 

2021_CISP_Report-2.jpg

Bold Ambition: International Large-Scale Science (Ƶ, 2021)






 

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Global Connections: Emerging Science Partners (Ƶ, 2021)







 

Project Meetings & Events
 

Making the Case for International Scientific Partnerships

December 14, 2020
This event launched the first report of the CISP initiative, America and the International Future of Science. The webinar featured presentations of the report’s findings by the cochairs of the CISP initiative and Large-Scale Science working group, Arthur Bienenstock and Peter Michelson. Their presentations highlighted the report’s recommendations for continued U.S. engagement with the global scientific ecosystem, including U.S.-China collaborations. The event also featured a discussion with the cochairs of the Emerging Science Partners working group, Shirley Malcom and Olufunmilayo Olopade, who discussed the importance of building a more resilient and inclusive scientific enterprise for the post-COVID-19 world, especially through collaborations with emerging science partner countries.

Speakers
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Olufunmilayo Olopade
University of Chicago

David W. Oxtoby
American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences

 

American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting 2021

Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships: Policy Priorities

February 10, 2021
The CISP initiative hosted a panel session at the virtual AAAS 2021 Annual Meeting. The session included a discussion of international scientific partnerships, across disciplines and at all scales, and identified policy recommendations and best practices to mitigate challenges based on the CISP project’s reports. The session emphasized some of the issues explored by the project’s two working groups: Large-Scale Science and Emerging Science Partners.

Speakers
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Olufunmilayo Olopade
University of Chicago

 

CISP Large-Scale Science Impact Workshop

March 29, 2021
Members of the CISP Steering Committee and Large-Scale Science working group met to discuss desired goals and impact for the report, Bold Ambition: International Large-Scale Science. The group identified domestic and international target audiences and proposed strategies for engaging with these audiences as well as outlined a defined strategy for outreach following the publication of the Bold Ambition report.

Meeting Chairs
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

 

United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development–Side Event

Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships

May 17, 2021
A side session event at the 24th United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development featured presentations on the CISP initiative by project cochairs Arthur Bienenstock and Peter Michelson and a presentation of the goals and findings of the Emerging Science Partners working group by working group cochairs Shirley Malcom and Olufunmilayo Olopade. The event also included a panel discussion that focused on strategies and priorities for building sustainable and equitable international scientific collaborations in Africa. In breakout groups, the meeting participants discussed selected topics in international collaboration in developing regions of the world, including: 1) the Nature of Scientific Collaborations; 2) Capacity-Building; and 3) National Science and Technology Goals.

Speakers
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

Shirley Malcom
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Olufunmilayo Olopade
University of Chicago

 

Panelists
 

Jonathan Jansen
Stellenbosch University

Jacqueline Kado
Network of African Science Academies

 

Exploring the Future of International Large-Scale Science

June 1, 2021
The Ƶ held an online webinar and panel discussion to launch the CISP initiative’s second report, Bold Ambition: International Large-Scale Science. The event featured talks by the project cochairs Arthur Bienenstock and Peter Michelson on the imperatives for U.S. participation in and support for international large-scale science collaborations and initiatives. The program also included a panel discussion, moderated by E. William Colglazier, on the future of large-scale science and how the United States could best participate in such collaborations. The panelists discussed the key role of U.S. federal agencies in funding such initiatives and collaborations; the importance of investing in cutting-edge research in advancing fields such as high-energy physics; and participating in shaping the norms and standards in collaborations in global health and climate change.

Speakers
 

Arthur Bienenstock
Stanford University

Peter Michelson
Stanford University

David W. Oxtoby
American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences

 

Panelists
 

E. William Colglazier
moderator; Science & Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science

France Córdova
Science Philanthropy Alliance

James Curran
Emory University

Jonathan Dorfan
formerly, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; formerly, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Kaye Husbands Fealing
Georgia Institute of Technology

 


 

Project

Accelerating Climate Action

climate change

The Ƶ has launched a new initiative to focus on the global challenge of climate change. The scientific consensus is clear: climate change and its associated devastating impacts are upon  us. With such strong scientific backing, what has prevented meaningful action? The project will address two questions: 1) How can the United States accelerate climate mitigation and adaptation strategies for all Americans regardless of race and socioeconomic background? and 2) What policies would most effectively and equitably remove barriers to climate action?

Commission Chairs
 

Christopher Field
Stanford University

Catherine Coleman Flowers
The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice

David G. Victor
University of California, San Diego

Patricia Vincent-Collawn
PNM Resources

 

Commission Members
 

Mustafa Santiago Ali
National Wildlife Federation; Revitalization Strategies

Xiye Bastida
Fridays for Future New York City

Philip Bredesen
Former Governor of Tennessee

Patricia Cochran
Alaska Native Science Commission

Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar
Supreme Court of California

Tim Guinee
Climate Actors

Rebecca Henderson
Harvard University

Charles (Chad) O. Holliday, Jr.
Royal Dutch Shell plc

Russel L. Honoré
Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, Leadership, Safety & Global Preparedness Authority

Bob Inglis 
republicEn.org

Leanne Kealoha Fox
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Elizabeth Kolbert
The New Yorker

Gary Roughead
Hoover Institution

Roger Sant
The Summit Foundation; The AES Corporation

J. Marshall Shepherd
University of Georgia

Hilary Tompkins
Hogan Lovells

Elke Weber
Princeton University

 

Project Staff
 

Tania Munz
Chief Program Officer

Islam Qasem
John E. Bryson Program Director

Amanda Vernon
Program Officer & Hellman Fellow in Science and Technology Policy

Rebecca Tiernan
Program Associate

Jen Smith
Program Coordinator

 

Funders
 

This project is funded through an endowment provided by John E. Bryson and Louise Henry Bryson, a gift from Hansjörg Wyss, and a gift from Roger Sant and Doris Matsui.
 

Commission Meeting
 

June 24, 2021
The Commission met for the first time to identify project goals and workstreams. Commission members described the major barriers to action they have seen in their own work and areas of expertise, and they discussed cross-cutting suggestions for areas of focus for the Commission.

 


 

Project

Resiliency in Supply Chains

supply chain

The Ƶ has launched a new exploratory initiative on building resiliency in supply chains, with a focus on healthcare and food supply chains for a post-COVID world. Supply chains are often invisible, not just to end-users but even to end-suppliers of goods and services. We have seen disruptions in the supply of some of our essential goods, such as medicines, personal protective equipment, and ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to mending the fractures that have been exposed in our current medical supply chain systems, the pandemic has also revealed weaknesses in our country’s food supply networks, in which the human costs of production, distribution, and delivery in unsafe conditions have been disproportionately borne by the most vulnerable participants, now reclassified as “essential workers.”

To address these questions, the Ƶ will convene an exploratory meeting with a group of interdisciplinary experts who will address the social and ethical dimensions of supply chains and produce useful recommendations for government, industry, and non-profit action. The meeting will explore three themes and identify both the vulnerabilities and challenges as well as possible solutions for each: 1) healthcare and food security supply chains; 2) ethical considerations of supply chains; and 3) national security as it relates to supply chains.
 

Project chairs
 

Margaret Levi
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Richard Locke
Brown University

 

Project Staff
 

Tania Munz
Chief Program Officer

Islam Qasem
John E. Bryson Program Director

Rebecca Tiernan
Program Associate

Jen Smith
Program Coordinator

 

Funder
 

American Ƶ Exploratory Fund

 


 

Project

The Public Face of Science

Public Face of Science

The Ƶ’s multiyear initiative on the Public Face of Science addresses various aspects of the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and the public and examines how trust in science is shaped by individual experiences, beliefs, and engagement with science. Additional project activities have included published work on the role of science in the legal system and the coordination and deployment of scientific teams as part of crisis response. The initiative has brought together a broad range of experts in communication, law, humanities, the arts, journalism, public affairs, and the physical, social, and life sciences. While this project does not directly address scientific literacy in K-12 and adult education, it will inform such efforts by fostering a greater understanding of the public’s attitudes toward science.

The third and final project report of the initiative, The Public Face of Science in America: Priorities for the Future, was published in August 2020 and presents a series of proposed policy recommendations for target audiences to improve the practice of science communication and engagement. This report was informed by the findings of the earlier publications of the initiative, Perceptions of Science in America and Encountering Science in America, which aggregated data both on how Americans view the role of science in society and how they interact with science in their everyday lives.
 

Project Chair
 

Richard Meserve
Covington & Burling LLP; formerly, Carnegie Institution for Science

 

Steering Group Members
 

Emilio Bizzi
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Geoffrey Cowan
University of Southern California

Ellen Futter
American Museum of Natural History

Sylvester James Gates, Jr.
Brown University

Robert Hauser
American Philosophical Society

Rush D. Holt, Jr.
formerly, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Kathleen Hall Jamieson
University of Pennsylvania

Venkatesh Narayanamurti
Harvard University

Nora Newcombe
Temple University

Kenneth Prewitt
Columbia University

Rebecca Rimel
Pew Charitable Trusts

Cristián Samper
Wildlife Conservation Society

Samuel Thier
Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital

 

Project Staff
 

Islam Qasem
John E. Bryson Program Director

Erica Kimmerling
former Hellman Fellow for Science and Technology Policy

Amanda Vernon
Program Officer & Hellman Fellow in Science and Technology Policy

Rebecca Tiernan
Program Associate

 

Funders
 

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Rita Allen Foundation

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
 

Project Publications
 

PFoS-Final-Report.jpg

The Public Face of Science in America: Priorities for the Future (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2020)






 

PFoS_Science-During-Crisis.jpg

Science During Crisis: Best Practices, Research Needs, and Policy Priorities,  Rita R. Colwell and Gary E. Machlis (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2019)





 

PFoS_Science-Across-the-World.jpg

The Public Face of Science Around the World, Matthew C. Nisbet and Erik C. Nisbet (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2019)





 

PFoS-Data-Report_ENCOUNTERING.jpg

Encountering Science in America (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2019)






 

PFoS-Perceptions-Science-America_0.jpg

Perceptions of Science in America (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2018)






 

Daedalus-Fall-2018.jpg

“Science & the Legal System,” æ岹ܲ,  edited by Shari Seidman Diamond & Richard O. Lempert (2018)







 

Project Event
 

Earning Trust in the Age of the Pandemic

September 16, 2020
The American Ƶ partnered with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to host a conversation on the complex relationship between public trust and vaccines. The discussion explored the public’s multifaceted perception of vaccine safety and the importance of creating and sustaining public trust regarding its use. The discussion accompanied the launch of the project’s final report, The Public Face of Science: Priorities for the Future, which includes recommendations for improved U.S. scientific engagement with the public.

Speakers
 

David W. Oxtoby
American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences

Victor Dzau
National Ƶ of Medicine

Francis S. Collins
National Institute of Health

Evelynn Hammonds
Harvard University

Seth Mnookin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Monica Schoch-Spana
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Erica Palma Kimmerling
Association of Science and Technology Centers

 


 

Project

New Models for U.S. Science and Technology

New Models

This project assembled recognized leaders from all sectors of science, engineering, and technology to recommend policy actions to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the U.S. science and engineering research enterprise. Scientific and technological advances are fundamental to the prosperity, health, and security of America. Innovation and rapid integration of new knowledge and technologies emerge from investments in research and development and rely on the partnerships between universities, federal and state governments, and industry. Staying globally competitive will require a stronger partnership and a greater focus on long-term planning in scientific and engineering research.

The Restoring the Foundation report, published in 2014, offers actionable recommendations for the long-term sustainability of the U.S. science and engineering research system to ensure a healthy research enterprise that continues to benefit the American people. An update to the report, The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science & Engineering, published in fall 2020, reaffirms the importance of science and engineering for the United States, especially in the context of China’s rise as a science and technology powerhouse.
 

Project Chairs
 

Norman R. Augustine
Lockheed Martin Corporation

Neal Lane
Rice University

 

Project Members
 

Nancy C. Andrews
Duke University School of Medicine

John E. Bryson
formerly, U.S. Department of Commerce; formerly, Edison International

Thomas R. Cech
University of Colorado Boulder

Steven Chu
Stanford University; formerly, U.S. Department of Energy

Jared Cohon
Carnegie Mellon University

James J. Duderstadt
University of Michigan

Mark C. Fishman
Harvard University

Sylvester James Gates, Jr.
Brown University

Bart Gordon
K&L Gates; formerly, U.S. House of Representatives

M.R.C. Greenwood
University of Hawaii

John L. Hennessy
Alphabet, Inc.; Stanford University

Charles O. Holliday, Jr.
Royal Dutch Shell plc

Peter S. Kim
Stanford University; formerly, Merck Research Laboratories

Richard A. Meserve
Covington & Burling LLP; formerly, Carnegie Institution for Science

C.D. Mote, Jr.
University of Maryland; formerly, National Ƶ of Engineering

Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti
Harvard University

Maxine L. Savitz
Honeywell, Inc.

Robert F. Sproull
University of Massachusetts, Amherst; formerly, Oracle Corporation

Subra Suresh
Nanyang Technological University

Shirley M. Tilghman
Princeton University

Jeannette M. Wing
Columbia University

Elias Zerhouni
formerly, Sanofi; formerly, National Institutes of Health; formerly, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

 

Project Staff
 

Tania Munz
Chief Program Officer

Peter Robinson
Morton L. Mandel Director of Strategic Implementation

Rebecca Tiernan
Program Associate

Amanda Vernon
Program Officer & Hellman Fellow in Science and Technology Policy

 

Funders
 

Bryson Science Fund

Hellman Fellows Fund
 

Project Publications
 

Perils-of-Complacency.jpg

The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science & Engineering (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, 2020)




 

RestoringFoundation.jpg

Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream (American Ƶ of Arts and Sciences, 2014)






 

Project Event
 

Inadequate Investment: America, China, and the Future of Innovation

September 30, 2020
This virtual event launched The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science & Engineering, published by the American Ƶ and The Baker Institute for Public Policy. The report assesses progress and setbacks in the five years since the release of Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream. The speakers discussed concerns about America falling behind and policies that could help ensure that the United States secures its strong position of global leadership in discovery and innovation.

Speakers
 

Nancy C. Andrews, moderator
Duke University School of Medicine

Norman R. Augustine
Lockheed Martin Corporation

Neal Lane
Rice University

Jeannette Wing
Columbia University