It was October in 1957, a little blinking light was merrily going around the earth, completely oblivious that millions of Americans were at that moment looking at it and feeling terrified.
The launching of the Sputnik into lower orbit by the Soviet Union created a panic so fierce, that it sent the US into a race that would propel (pun intended) american research and development in science to global leadership.
This competition with the Soviet Union brought the nation together, and allowed congress to pass bipartisan legislation that ultimately resulted in Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
Presently, China is set to outspend us by the end of the decade, and countries like Finland, South Korea, Israel and Japan already spend more as a percentage of GDP than the US.
Think of Government R&D as the farm where chef's (industry) comes to get the freshest vegetables and meats, and brings culinary dreams to life that benefit diners (the populace) as much as restaurant owners (the Bill Gates of the world). It's a synergistic approach that fuels the economy and keeps the nation updated on defense technology.
So, in times of high political polarization it's reassuring to see a bipartisan bill making strides in the long road to becoming enacted.
S. 3084 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act is currently waiting a second review in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. This bill promises to reshape the way resources are available to various research interests, while addressing some old administrative quick sand that in some cases saps up to 40% of grant monies. It also seeks to put spending growth at a modest, yet respectable, 4% annually. Finally, S.3084 will try to get industry and public research closer to each other, allowing for smoother integration and collaboration.
This bill is fortunate in that the sponsor and two cosponsors are on the committee where the bill is being referred, with the sponsor being a member of the majority party. That being said, roughly 20% of bills alive at this stage are ever enacted.
Regardless of its success, it's fortunate that across the board, we can make research and development in the STEM field a national, bi-partisan priority (so we can beat China like we beat the Soviet Union!).
ReplyDeleteIn a blogpost by my colleague Andres Cikota entitled "A Bipartisan Cause (Again)," he argues that the United States needs to increase funding for research and development in order to keep and pace and surpass other nations such as China. He points out how during the Cold War the United States outspent the Soviet Union and therefore was able to dominate space exploration and other science fields. In recent times, however, the United States has fallen behind in science spending and therefore fallen behind other countries in progress. My colleague argues that the United States needs to increase their research and development spending and applauds a current Senate Bill that is attempting to do that. Through the use of a very helpful analogy, my colleague is able to show why the US needs to increase spending. This helps him to persuade readers to agree with what he is arguing.
I agree with my colleague's commentary about the increase in spending needed for research and development in the United States. I believe that agencies such as NASA are incredibly underfunded. In order for our nation to compete with other nations we must fund these agencies. Do you really want to see a Russian flag or a Chinese flag or a European flag on Mars before the Stars and Stripes?