Summit lists ways to strengthen science

In an unusual show of unity, 50 business, academic, and legislative leaders came to Washington, D.C., to proclaim what they believe is obvious: The United States should be paying more attention to science and engineering. But although there was a rousing consensus on the need to improve teaching, graduate more science majors, and boost spending on research and translating the results to the workplace, there was mostly silence on how these changes might come about and who would pay for them.

The 1-day meeting, hosted by the Department of Commerce, was billed as the National Summit on Competitiveness. Although such business-oriented meetings are commonplace in the nation's capital, this one was distinguished by an intermingling of industry CEOs with university presidents, who have long lobbied for many of these changes. After a morning roundtable, the invitees attended closed sessions led by Cabinet secretaries and senior Bush Administration officials who, by several accounts, extolled the president's accomplishments in energy technology, trade, education, and research. In turn, participants maintained a relentlessly positive tone about how the United States should respond to heavy investments by other countries in their scientific workforces and high-tech industries.

Mark Wrighton, chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, agrees that universities should focus on nurturing budding scientists. The former Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemistry professor says his university has decided to make research opportunities for undergraduates a priority for one simple reason: "It's so much more fun to actually do science."

•	Summit Lists Ways to Strengthen Science U.S. Competitiveness Science Magazine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 Byline: Jeffrey Mervis