Physics in a New Era An Overview (2001) / Chapter Skim
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11. Recommendations I: Physics and the Wider Society - Investment, Education, and National Security
11. Recommendations I: Physics and the Wider Society - Investment, Education, and National Security
Pages 157-167
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From page 157... ...
The others are new directions branching off from old, with great potential for having a wide impact on science, medicine, national security, and economic growth. It is widely recognized that the federal government must take primary responsibility for the support of basic research in science, research that is vital for the needs of our nation.
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From page 158... ...
Because the federal government plays such a pivotal role in basic physics research, the current level of federal support appears to the committee to be well below the level of support needed to ensure the nation's continuing growth and prosperity. Federal support declined in constant dollars during the 1 990s (Figure 1 1 .11.
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From page 159... ...
The federal government's support of basic research in the life sciences, n contrast with its support of physics research, grew even more rapicily than
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From page 160... ...
. N90N N90~ 9~ 90~ 90~ 90~ 90A 900 909 99° 99N 99~ 993 9~ 9~ 9 Year .~99 FIGURE 1 1.2 Federal obligations for basic research in physics and life sciences as percentage of GDP.
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From page 161... ...
Key considerations in this process should include the overall level of this investment necessary to maintain strong economic growth driven by new physics-basecl technologies, the needs of other sciences that draw heavily on advances in physics, the expanding scientific opportunities in physics itself, the cost-effectiveness of stable funding for research projects, the characteristic time interval between the investment in basic research and its beneficial impact, and the advantages of diverse funding sources. The Physics Survey Overview Committee believes that to support strong economic growth and provide essential tools and methods for the biomedical sciences in the decade ahead, the federal investment in basic physics research relative to GDP should be restored to the levels of the early 1 980s.
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From page 162... ...
Physics departments should also take an active role in the preparation and ongoing training of K-12 teachers of physical science. Although a thorough grounding in the discipline has been widely recognized as playing a key role in excellent K-12 teaching of any physical science, relatively few physical science teachers in the United States have this background.
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From page 163... ...
Unraveling the properties of DNA, RNA, and proteins depends on research ranging from experimentation at large synchrotron light facilities to theoretical modeling and simulation by single investigators. And in many areas, the scale of the research increases as new questions emerge out of old.
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From page 164... ...
Despite the stiff competition for faculty positions, which has ensured a higher quality of new faculty than ever before, it has become increasingly difficult for young lone investigators working in areas such as condensed-matter physics to obtain federal support. Because support for small-group and single-investigator research constitutes a small fraction of the total federal investment in physics, this support could be improved substantially with a relatively modest overall increase in funding.
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From page 165... ...
The federal funding agencies ancl their acivisory committees responsible for the planning ancl implementation of large-scale physics research must be connected strongly to the community of physicists in the Unitecl States ancl abroacl, with participants serving all of physics rather than representing particular constituencies. Large-scale physics requires extensive R&D, ancl the federal government must be prepared to support this work well in acivance of the start-up of specific facilities.
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From page 166... ...
Even with the recent increases, the DOD's support of basic research in physics has cleclinecl since the end of the Colcl War by approximately 11 percent in constant clollars. In aciclition, year-to-year fluctuations have made it difficult to maintain important research programs.
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From page 167... ...
RECOMMENDATIONS I Recommendation 5. Congress and the Department of Energy should ensure the continued scientific excellence of the Department of Energy's Office of Defense Programs' national laboratories by reestablishing the high priority of long-term basic research in physics and other core competencies important to laboratory · — missions.
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