Biden helped bring science from the lab to the community – by emphasizing solutions-focused research

President Joe Biden was sworn in in January 2021 amid a devastating pandemic over 24 million COVID-19 cases and greater than 400,000 deaths recorded within the USA right now.

Operation Warp Speed ​​initiated by the Trump administration in May 2020 meant that an efficient vaccine became available. Biden quickly announced a plan to immunize 100 million Americans over the subsequent three months. As of the top of April 2021, 145 million Americans – nearly half the population – had received a vaccine dose, with 103 million into consideration fully vaccinated. Science and technology policymakers celebrated this coordination between science, industry and government to deal with an actual crisis twenty first Century Manhattan Project.

From my perspective as Science and Technology Policy ScientistBiden's legacy includes structural, institutional and practical changes in the way in which science is completed. Building on approaches developed over a few years, the administration increased the importance of science in government and encouraged community participation in research.

Raise the profile of science in government

The US doesn’t have a single department of science and technology. Instead, agencies and offices throughout the manager branch conduct scientific research at multiple national laboratories and fund research at other institutions. By elevating the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to a Cabinet-level organization for the primary time Throughout his history, Biden gave the agency greater influence over federal decision-making and coordination.

Officially established in 1976, the agency provides scientific and technical advice to the president and senior staff and incorporates science into business policy. Biden's addition of the agency's director to his Cabinet was a robust signal of the vital role that science and technology would play in solving the federal government's major societal challenges.

Under Biden, the Office of Science and Technology Policy established guidelines that agencies across the federal government would follow when implementing major laws. This included the event of technologies that… Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere address climate change, Rebuilding the American chip industryAnd Managing the adoption of AI technologies.

Close-up of a gloved hand holding a square semiconductor chip
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 promoted semiconductor chip research and manufacturing within the United States
Narumon – I'm Not Afraid (Moment) via Getty Images

Rather than treating the moral and social dimensions of scientific and technological change individually from research and development, the agency argued for a more integrated approach. This was reflected in his appointment as a social scientist Alondra Nelson because the agency's first deputy director for science and society and an authority on science policy Kei Koizumi as deputy principal director for policy. Ethical and social considerations were added Evaluation criteria for grants. And initiatives like that AI Charter of Fundamental Rights and frameworks for Research integrity and open science also called on all federal agencies to contemplate the social impact of their research.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy also introduced recent opportunities for agencies to seek the advice of with communities, including Native Americans, rural Americans and folks of color, to avoid known biases in science and technology research. For example, the agency has issued government-wide guidelines Recognize and incorporate indigenous knowledge into federal programs. Agencies just like the Department of Energy have integrated public perspectives as we introduce and construct recent technologies to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide Hydrogen hubs.

Application-oriented research

A long-standing criticism The drawback of US science funding is that it often doesn’t provide answers to questions of social importance. Members of Congress and policy analysts have argued that funded projects as an alternative place an excessive emphasis on basic research in areas that advance researchers' careers.

In response, the Biden administration set this up Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate on the National Science Foundation in March 2022.

The Directorate uses social science approaches to direct scientific research and technology for his or her potential uses and impacts on society. For example, engineers developing future energy technologies could begin by consulting with the community about local needs and opportunities, fairly than presenting their preferred solution after years of laboratory work. Genetic researchers could share each knowledge and financial advantages with the communities that provided data to the researchers.

Fundamentally, “applied” research goals to reconnect scientists and engineers with the people and communities their work ultimately affects, and goes beyond publication in a journal accessible only to academics.

The Directorate of Technology, Innovation and Partnerships has launched initiatives to support this regional projects And multidisciplinary partnerships brings together researchers, entrepreneurs and community organizations. These programs, comparable to the regional innovation engines And Convergence Acceleratorseek to balance the normal strategy of grant proposals written and evaluated by scientists with broader societal demand for reasonably priced health and environmental solutions. This work is especially vital for parts of the country where visible gains from many years of federally funded research haven’t yet been achieved, comparable to the regions of western North Carolina, northern South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwest Virginia.

Community-based scientific research

The Biden administration also worked to have interaction communities in science not only as research advisors but in addition as advisors energetic participants.

Scientific research and technology-based innovation are common is taken into account an exclusive domain by experts from elite universities or national laboratories. Still, many communities are wanting to conduct research and have insights to contribute. There is one many years of history of citizen science initiatives, comparable to Bird watchers provide data to national environmental surveys and community groups Collecting industrial emissions data that officials can use to make regulations more cost effective.

In addition, the Biden administration conducted experiments to develop research projects to incorporate community members, local universities, and federal agencies as more equal partners.

Hand-drawn signs on a fence in front of a green field with messages about climate change surrounding a sign that says
Collaboration between the community, academia, industry and government can result in simpler solutions.
Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

For example this Justice40 Initiative asked people from across the country, including rural and small-town residents, to discover local environmental justice issues and possible solutions.

The National Institutes of Health ComPASS The program funded community organizations to check and scale successful health interventions, comparable to: B. identifying pregnant women with complex medical needs and linking them to specialized care.

And the National Science Foundation Civic innovation challenge required academic researchers to collaborate with local organizations to deal with local problems and improve community technical skills and knowledge.

Limits of science and technology policy

Researchers often cite the 1945 report Science: The Endless Frontierwritten by former head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development Vannevar Bush to explain the essential reasons for using American tax dollars to fund basic research. Under this model, funding science would lead to a few key outcomes: secure national defense, improved health, and economic prosperity. However, the report says little about easy methods to move from basic research to desired societal outcomes. There can also be no mention of scientists being collectively liable for the direction and impact of their work.

The eightieth anniversary of Bush's report in 2025 offers a chance to bring science into society. Major government initiatives are currently following a Technology push model that focuses efforts on only one or a number of products and pays little attention to consumer and market demand. Research has shown this time and time again Consumer or social appealwhich attracts the event of products that improve the standard of life is the important thing to the successful introduction of latest technologies and their longevity.

Future governments can further advance science and address major societal challenges by reflecting on this How ready society is is the uptake of latest technologies and increased collaboration between government and civil society.

image credit : theconversation.com