67 



This does not mean that U.S. predominance is uniform across all aspects 

 of all of the disciplines. There are some decided soft spots in the U.S. 

 achievement: in high latitude ocean research, for example, U.S. efforts 

 are hampered by the lack of ice-strengthened research ships and other 

 specialized equipment and technology required for polar operations. There 

 are also general and growing concerns that the equipment and instrumenta- 

 tion available to U.S. oceanographers is obsolete, and that the recruit- 

 ment of young scientists and engineers into the field is inadequate. 



9. What particular benefits accrue to the "world leader" versus "number two" 

 in a particular area of science? Why should national policy makers care 

 whether or not the nation is first, second or third in a given area ot 

 science ? 



Again, this is a difficult question to answer. In areas essential to 

 national defense or industrial competitiveness, being number one may be 

 not only desirable, but essential. But most research is not a zero-sum, 

 win-lose proposition. If a breakthrough in cell biology in China or 

 France enables U.S. researchers to unravel a major problem in cancer 

 research or plant genetics, everyone wins. 



The more important question is whether we sustain a level of excellence as 

 a nation which keeps us in a position both to contribute to and to benefit 

 from forefront activities across a broad spectrum of scientific and 

 engineering research, and to produce a sufficient stream of well-trained 

 young scientists and engineers. 



10. Should federal science funding include the aim of keeping the U.S. first 

 in every field of science, and if so, will international cooperation be 

 either beneficial or detrimental to achieving this aim ? 



Being "first" across the board is probably impossible; it is also not 

 clear that it is either necessary or desirable. International cooperation 

 can improve our own science performance not only by sharing costs, but 

 also by sharing knowledge and expertise. That has been the case in ocean 

 drilling: the international program is scientifically better than an 

 exclusively national program could be. 



