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A Vision for Science in Public Policy

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A Vision for Science in Public Policy PART 2 A Vision for Science in Public Policy Introduction: Stephen D. Nelson Good morning and welcome. Before we look ahead to the future, I want to take us back to the past a bit, really, really back to the ancient Library of Alexandria. Stephen D. Nelson is associate director of Science Founded in 288 B.C., the Library of Alexandria was a and Policy Programs at the American Association for wonder of the ancient world and a unique achievement the Advancement of Science. He directed AAAS’s Sci- of the human intellect. It represented the pinnacle of ence and Technology Fellowship Programs for 15 learning for more than six centuries and remained a years, as part of his responsibilities as program source of inspiration even after its disappearance 1,600 director of the Science, Technology and Government years ago. Program (1990–1999) and as manager of Science Now, you may know that there is a new Library of Policy Studies (1984–1999). Dr. Nelson has also Alexandria, Biblioteca Alexandria, inspired by the orig- co-authored or co-edited 42 volumes published by inal and located very close by the site of the original. It AAAS on federal funding for research and develop- includes a library for up to 8 million volumes; six spe- ment and other issues in science and technology cialized libraries; three museums for antiquities, manu- policy. scripts, and the history of science; seven research Before joining AAAS, Dr. Nelson was senior pro- institutes; several exhibition galleries, two for perma- fessional associate at the Institute of Medicine, nent exhibitions and six galleries for temporary exhibi- National Academy of Sciences, working on a study of tions; a planetarium; an exploratorium for children; and the organizational structure of the National Institutes a conference center that can accommodate 3,000 seats. of Health. He also served for six years as administra- The library receives over 250,000 visitors a year, and tive officer for science and technology policy at the it aspires to be the world’s window on Egypt, Egypt’s American Psychological Association. Before coming window on the world, a learning institute for the digital to Washington in 1977, he was project director at the age, and above all, a center for learning tolerance, dia- Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowl- logue, and understanding. Through its various func- edge, Institute for Social Research at the University tions, the library has identified four main themes: of Michigan. He also taught in both the psychology science, with a special emphasis on the ethics of science and sociology departments at Michigan. He received and technology; humanities, with special emphasis on his B.A. in psychology from Kansas State University new scholarship and historical studies; arts and culture, and his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University with a special emphasis on intercultural dialogue and of Michigan. criticism; and development issues, with special emphases on water and gender. What kind of person would one select to be the A Vision for Science in Public Policy: Nelson 11 Dr. Serageldin is a director of this marvelous institution, the first head of chapters, and technical The task of looking to person of vision and the Library of Alexandria in 1,600 years? Who would papers. He has received at the future is not to try compassion, with a to predict it, which have the abilities and the capacity to direct this ambi- least 16 honorary doctorate burning sense of the probably is not pos- moral tasks facing tious center and to deal with its many facets and many degrees from institutions in sible in any sense, science and tech- challenges? Let me tell you a little bit about the person nine countries on five conti- but rather to clarify nology. who was selected, and you’ll begin to see why he was nents. He speaks three lan- choices among the different paths that a perfectly appropriate candidate for that job. And then guages fluently, Arabic, can be taken, so that after you’ve heard him speak, you will begin to under- French, and English. we can make more stand why he was exactly the right person for that job. Furthermore, as you will intelligent decisions in the present. Ismail Serageldin is an Egyptian national, born in see shortly, Dr. Serageldin is 1944. He received a bachelor’s degree of science with a person of vision and com- first-class honors from Cairo University, a master’s of passion, with a burning sense of the moral tasks facing regional planning from Harvard University, and a doc- science and technology in the world of the future or, torate from Harvard. He worked in many different more accurately, as science and technology confront the capacities at the World Bank since beginning there in possible futures of the world. For as we know, the task 1972, culminating in his service as vice president for of looking to the future is not to try to predict it, which environmentally and socially sustainable development probably is not possible in any sense, but rather to from 1992 to 1998 and vice president for special pro- clarify choices among the different paths that can be grams from 1998 to 2000. In addition, he has led taken, so that we can make more intelligent decisions numerous international bodies and committees, prima- in the present. Our speaker has spent his life doing rily on issues of development, agriculture, and poverty. exactly that, trying to help individuals and organizations Dr. Serageldin has written or edited more than 50 books make more intelligent choices in the present so that the and monographs, as well as some 200 articles, book future can be more hopeful. Let’s welcome him. 12 Vision 2033: Linking Science and Policy for Tomorrow’s World Ismail Serageldin I’m delighted and honored to share some thoughts with Today, the third global revolution is really the knowl- you about the issues that will be facing science in 2033. edge revolution. For the first time, a Web connects People have different views on that subject, of course, knowledge and researchers around the world. People and I would like to present a view that is truly global, doing research in Japan know what’s happening in recognizing that, if the United States is the locomotive Brazil. People doing work in India know what’s hap- and humankind is the train, we nevertheless are all pening in the United States, and vice versa. It is all together in this global environment. thanks, of course, to both the enormous expansion of Allow me to start by discussing the age of science computing and the incredible extension of communica- and the paradox of our times—notably, the coexistence tions. Modern communications have made it possible to of enormous wealth with resource constraints and remain instantaneously in contact around the planet poverty. I will talk about the vast potential power that is almost at all times, a feat that would have been unthink- arising from the new science and technology, as well as able 30 years ago. the need to temper that power with a new ethics. But the digital revolution goes deeper, because the Finally, I will close with a few words about scientists’ ones and zeroes that make up the language of bits and responsibility to engage in public debates, to bring the bytes in effect constitute a common language that values of science into policy discussions, and to turn the brings together image, voice, text, data, and music. As focus of scientific inquiry to the pressing problems that a result, we witness mergers and acquisitions of a we see around us today. nature we never saw before, and we see them all right There are more scientists alive today than have lived on our personal computers. But, as we all know, it is not throughout all of the preceding millennia. Science per- just a single computer that is the strength of the new meates the cultural outlook of more people than ever revolution; it is the networking of these computers, before, and science has yielded enormous improve- their ability to connect with each other, that creates Science permeates the cultural outlook ments in human welfare. We are now moving into what these global exchanges of knowledge, both for com- of more people than I will term the third global revolution, a knowledge- merce and for science. They permeate our existence to ever before, and sci- based society in which science is central. The first global such an extent that we really cannot believe what ence has yielded enormous improve- revolution was the agricultural revolution, without would happen if, for any reason, there was a hang-up. ments in human wel- which there would not have been civilized human exis- We rely every day on that network of communications, fare. tence and cultures would not have arisen. To this day, often in countless ways we don’t even see or realize, of course, it is the surplus produced by farmers that whether for scheduling trains or organizing production allows the cities to exist. We can sometimes forget that in manufacturing, whether for checking bank transac- our foundation is agricultural, just as our youngsters, if tions, or tracking deliveries, or performing any other asked where food comes from, respond that it comes task that requires comparing or manipulating data. from the supermarket. New digital processes are also revolutionizing our The second great revolution, of course, was the most basic notions about technology. Everything seems industrial revolution, which transformed the relation- to be getting smaller and smaller.
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