Science Research & Development (WHAT a CONCEPT)

An era of science promised Obama pledges $420 billion over 10 years

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Presi­dent Barack Obama promised a new era of science and tech­nology for the nation, telling the National Academy of Sci­ences on Monday that he wants to devote more funds to research and development.

America has fallen behind other countries in science, Obama said. “I believe it is not in our character, American charac­ter, to follow — but to lead. And it is time for us to lead once again. I am here today to set this goal: we will devote more than 3% of our gross domestic product to research and devel­opment,” Obama said in a speech at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.

That 3% would amount to about $420 billion spread over 10 years. “We will not just meet but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race,” he said. That pursuit of discovery a half century ago fueled the na­tion’s prosperity and success, Obama told the academy. “The commitment I am making today will fuel our suc­cess for another 50 years,” he said. “This work begins with” a historic commitment “to basic science and applied research.”

And he set forth a wish list including:

■ Solar cells as cheap as paint
■ Green buildings that produce all the energy they consume
■ Learning software that’s as effective as a personal tutor
■ Prosthetics so advanced that you could play the piano again
■ An expansion of the frontiers of human knowledge about ourselves and the world around us.

In recent years, he said, “scientific integrity has been undermined and scientific re­search politicized in an effort to advance predetermined ideological agendas.”

Obama said he plans to dou­ble the budget of key science agencies over a decade, includ­ing the National Science Foun­dation, Department of Energy Office of Science and the Na­tional Institutes of Standards and Technology. He also announced the launch of the Advanced Re­search Projects Agency-Ener­gy.

It is a new Department of Energy organization modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, that led in development of the Internet, stealth aircraft and other breakthroughs. And he said the Energy De­partment and the National Sci­ence Foundation will offer pro­grams and scholarships to en­courage American students to pursue careers in science, en­gineering and business related to clean energy.