Consequently, I believe it necessary to find a way 

 to educate the public in such a way that they 

 understand how basic research plays an impor- 

 tant role in improving our country's technical, 

 economic, and social well-being. 



In comparison with other issues, the public 

 attitude toward science and technology was 

 generally regarded as important by university 

 presidents and vice presidents, as Table E-l of 

 the Appendix shows. In particular, it ranked 

 third among the presidents and vice presidents 

 (combined) from Carnegie Research Univer- 

 sities II. It also ranked third among department 

 chairmen in the mathematical sciences and fifth 

 in the life sciences. 



In industry, low public confidence in science 

 and technology ranked fourth among all 

 respondents, and third among vice presidents 

 and directors of research and development, as 

 can be seen from Table E-2. 



In the Government research sector, similarly, 

 meeting public demand for justification of basic 

 research programs with respect to mission was 

 the seventh most frequently mentioned issue. 

 This is shown on Table E-3. 



As one Federal laboratory director stated 

 simply, "A true appreciation for fundamental 

 research in the mind of the non-scientist seems 

 most difficult to achieve." Nevertheless, some 

 respondents, like Robert K. Whitford, Acting 

 Director of the Department of Transportation's 

 Transportation Systems Center and Michael J. 

 Vaccaro, Associate Deputy Director of NASA's 

 Goddard Space Flight Center, exhorted scien- 

 tists to try to achieve such an appreciation by 

 speaking out. 



Whitford felt that: 



The central role of R&D in developing scientific 

 understanding of the problems facing our nation 

 and in developing insights concerning probable 

 solutions is poorly understood even within the 

 R&D community itself. Efforts of the R&D 

 community must address the problems of 

 developing the basic understanding and com- 

 municating its nature and implications in the 

 context of a sound, scientific societal value 

 system. We must realize and communicate 

 effectively the fact that research itself is a prime 

 means of establishing the human societal value 

 system we all seek. And government must ensure 

 the success of this. 



NEED FOR 



AN EDUCATION PROGRAM 



The last writer quoted above recommended a 

 program to convince the public of the value of 

 research. This recommendation, or the parallel 

 recommendation of improved communication 

 between science and government, was made by 

 some respondents from each sector. It was 

 prominently mentioned by respondents from 

 independent research institutes, many of whom 

 saw a need for an adequate justification of 

 research. In the Government laboratories also, 

 many of the respondents tended to view the 

 basic problem as one of communication: scien- 

 tists have not been effective in communicating, 

 either to Government officials or the general 

 public, a real understanding and appreciation of 

 the value of basic research — or even of the 

 potential of applied research and technology. 



Vaccaro expressed himself this way: 



The more important problem is that of achieving a 

 continued public acceptance of the validity of the 

 requirement for fundamental research. A sub- 

 stantial part of this problem lies in the establish- 

 ment of useful communications channels 

 between the scientific and academic com- 

 munities on the one hand and the general public 

 on the other. 



CONFIDENCE ON 



THE PART OF GOVERNMENT 



In addition to public attitudes toward science 

 and technology, many respondents were es- 

 pecially concerned about attitudes held within 

 government, whether State or Federal. For 

 example, William Montagna, Director of the 

 Oregon Regional Primate Research Center (an 

 independent research institute) felt that basic 



CONFIDENCE IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



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