Biden Administration Question for the Scientific Community:Maintaining World Leadership in Science and Technology

For starters, there needs to be a concerted effort at raising the bar for prioritizing science education at an early age. Identification of leading-edge science (e.g., Toxicology in the 21st Century) including some of the transformations that have occurred in toxicology (i.e., omics, imaging, NAMs) need to be identified, embraced, and employed across a host of different scientific and technological areas.  However, it begins with increasing the scientific acumen and knowledge among scientific professionals and students in the US. 

Leader should have broad knowledge of the science and well known to us. 

One of America's most amazing and enviable advantages is our ability to attract world-class scientists and engineers. They come to study, create businesses, contribute their time and energy to scientific and technological projects in the United States, establish research labs, and develop bridges between cultures, communities, and countries — and they become amazing members of our scientific community. For example, three of this year's four American Nobel Laureates moved to America. The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to safeguarding research security while also upholding the key concepts that have guided America's scientific leadership, such as openness, transparency, honesty, equity, fairness, objectivity, and democratic values. We will continue to engage with the wonderful and diverse group of American researchers and institutions that enable so much of our country's scientific success as we do so.

Focus, focus, focus. First of all, establish factually what the problem actually is. Then focus exclusively on realistic, plausible solutions to that problem. Most importantly, don't waste time & money on efforts to persuade the Americal People of something that simply isn't true, regardless of how "politically correct" it might be. "The world leader in the technologies and industries of the future" will not be the nation that distracts its people with, and wastes its resources on, demonstrably false ideas. Remember, it was Stalin's embrace of T. D. Lysenko's foolish ideas that put Russian genetics 50 years behind the rest of the world.

This is not an achievement that can be done by isolating the US from other countries.  We need to continue to ensure the quality and funding of our universities and allow global participation by students and researchers from around the world.   No one country has a monopoly on good future ideas in science and technology.  To that end, students attracted to the US for education and research must have easy access to obtaining permanent resident and/or citizenship so the US can also benefit from their skills.   This is not to turn a blind eye to other countries trying to steal technology, unduly influence the nature or type of research done, or ignore patent rights, but to rely on openness and transparency of ideas in general and vigorously enforce proprietary laws when they are violated.   Increased focus on critical thinking, communication skills, and ethics at all education levels should be an essential party of this effort.