Research!America, in partnership with Abbott, presented a Research Partners Forum February 1, 2007, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Arden Bement Jr., PhD, director of the National Science Foundation, provided the keynote. Read more about the poll data and new fact sheet released at the event. Read Dr. Bement's remarks or view the transcript.

William Brown III, PhD; Christen Brownlee; Alan Merten, PhD; Jennifer M. Luray; Jeremy Berg, PhD; Bill Leinweber; Tenley Albright, MD; Phil Southerland; Ira Flatow Photo by Mike Gatty/DCEventphotos.com

"We must strive to engage opinion leaders and decision makers in conversations about the importance of and greater support for convergence of the sciences-life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. When we help all types of scientists work together, we help sustain our nation's leadership in discovery and innovation," remarked Bill Leinweber, executive vice president, Research!America, as he opened Bridging the Sciences: Investment and Innovation, a half-day forum at the National Press Club.

A distinguished panel discussed how the U.S. can keep its competitive edge in innovation by fostering collaboration across the many disciplines of science: biology, chemistry, computing, mathematics, physics and engineering. In the keynote address, Arden Bement, Jr., PhD, director, National Science Foundation, described the opportunities and momentum behind the notion of bridging the sciences-and challenges ahead if certain trends continue.

Panel Discussion

Sponsored by Research!America in partnership with Abbott, the forum opened with findings from an opinion poll conducted to gauge the public's understanding of science. The poll, commissioned by Research!America, found strong public support for the role science plays in our lives. Some 85% said science plays a very important role in health, 78% thought it helped the U.S. stay competitive, and 70% agreed it plays a very important role in our education system.

More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) are aware that research in specific fields impacts scientific advances and discovery in other fields a great deal. For most Americans (83%), the effect of chemistry on medical progress is clear, as is the link between medical progress and computer science (62%), physics (58%) and math (56%). The connections between medical advances and research in engineering (49%), energy (43%), space (40%), defense (40%) and geology (27%) are somewhat less apparent.

The findings prompted moderator Ira Flatow, host of Science Friday on National Public Radio, to comment about the "huge thirst among the public for science" and the need for more attention to science in the mainstream news media.

In the discussion that followed, panelists emphasized that innovation through bridging the sciences requires collaboration not just between government and industry but also between departments within an institution.

Tenley Albright, MD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, "I find that what scientists need is a way that they will bump into each other, where the experts can meet, and they might be experts in totally different fields, even outside of science, and it's exciting to see what happens when they do." Alan G. Merten, PhD, George Mason University, remarked on the growth of his university but said having separate buildings for each field of study is not always the best course: "Sometimes putting the scientists away from others is not such a good idea."

Jeremy M. Berg, PhD, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), described an NIGMS initiative to model infectious diseases as an example of a program that bridges various disciplines of science: "It covers everyone from epidemiologists, computer scientists, economists, social sciences; the idea was to develop computer models that would allow people to model how an infectious disease moves through a population." He also cited an NIH pilot program that designates multiple PIs, or principal investigators, to promote collaboration and a "team science" approach.

As another example of advances gained through bridging the sciences, diabetes patient-advocate Phil Southerland-founder of Team Type 1, a team of cyclists with Type 1 diabetes that raises awareness and research funds-described an investigational technology he had experienced as part of a clinical trial-a wireless insulin pump under development by Abbott. He said, "This was one of those water cooler ideas where someone said, ‘You know, they've got insulin pumps and machines that deliver insulin in the body - why don't we make them talk to each other and take out the tubes?' And from that conversation came a lot of engineering and development and research to make this product."

William E. Brown III, PhD, Abbott, stressed the importance of keeping the public in mind during research and development. From industry's perspective, he noted, "To come up with something innovative, you really have to know how it's going to be used, in many cases, and really understand how a customer would use it, even more than they do."

In exploring challenges that can hinder research that spans scientific disciplines, panelists discussed the public's generally low understanding of science. Christen Brownlee, Science News, commented, "The more we educate children on what science is, the more they'll understand when they become adults and it's time to decide where the money needs to be spent."

The panel agreed that increased funding from the federal government, as well as industry and other private sources, is critical to foster innovation at the interface of different scientific fields. Albright commended Research!America for continuing to bring attention to the need for increased funding, and Berg cited U.S. taxpayers' support for the NIH and National Science Foundation as a contributing factor to the strong showing by Americans among last year's Nobel Prize winners.

Flatow asked about the importance of role models in heightening public interest in the sciences. Panelists mentioned Carl Sagan, Dean Kamen, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and others who have effectively used television and other popular platforms to show the public that science is fascinating and that it encompasses many diverse, yet interconnected fields.

The panel noted the importance of reaching the public with science news and of scientists using more effective, creative methods to convey their messages to news media. Speaking of scientists, Merten observed, "We have a desire for precision. And when you deal with the media, there's maybe less, at times, of a desire for precision. So if a faculty member gets quoted in the newspaper, and it's 90% correct and 10% wrong, he or she is offended: ‘I'm never going to talk to that reporter again, because they got it wrong.' What we have to do more in media training is say, ‘They're close. Don't worry that they got 10% wrong.'" Brownlee agreed, saying that reporters are generally working with "broader brushstrokes."

The Honorable Paul G. Rogers, chair emeritus, Research!America, concluded the panel discussion by calling on all those in the science community to be advocates. He noted that advocacy takes initiative and collaboration, and he urged programs to encourage young scientists to be collaborative and explore areas of research that cross traditional boundaries.

Keynote Speaker

Alan Leshner, PhD, CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science

and Research!America board member, introduced keynote speaker Arden Bement Jr., PhD, director, National Science Foundation, praising his "quiet, visionary leadership." Leshner said, "Over the last couple of years, Arden has clearly put a stamp on NSF and on his programs, characterized, I'd say, by his belief that NSF should only be funding science at the cutting edge."

In his remarks, Bement observed, "More and more, fundamental research at the interface among disciplines is proving to be the most fertile ground for discovery." Of the need to pursue inter-disciplinary, high-risk research, he said, "In a science- and technology-based world, to retreat from the frontier is to put the nation at peril."

He discussed the need for the U.S. to stay competitive, especially as "other nations are raising the ante, with heavy investments in research and education. In this climate of red-hot competition, business as usual is simply not good enough. Maintaining U.S. leadership in science, engineering, and technology is critical for our future prosperity and quality of life, and fundamental research across all disciplines is vital to that leadership."

Citing Research!America's new poll findings as evidence that the public sees the importance of science and technology to America's future, Bement noted that, nonetheless, fewer students are opting for degrees in science at a time when such skills are in great demand. He called this dilemma "a profound disconnect" and predicted steep challenges ahead: "The nation needs bold efforts to sustain a leadership role in the global economy. We have always been remarkably adept at this in America. And now is not the time to be complacent. Research and innovation are key to this endeavor."

Research!America's Bill Leinweber concluded the forum by emphasizing that all members of the science community must be vocal advocates and continue the conversation about bridging the sciences, to accelerate innovation and maintain the nation's competitive edge.

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