Students Becoming Scientists in the
World: Integrating Research and
Education for Sustainable Development
Dr. James P. Collins
Directorate for the Biological Sciences
National Science Foundation
UNU/UNESCO International Conference:
Globalization 2006
24 August 2006
Outline
• What is 21st Century Science?
• How do we foster 21st Century Science
within NSF?
 Research
Education
21st Century Science
• Multidisciplinary
• Multidimensional
• Information-driven
• Education-oriented
• Internationally
engaged
21st Century Science
“Domestic and international collaborations
are expanding in response to the
complexities of new scientific fields, the
growing scale and scope of scientific
initiatives, new capabilities provided by
advances in information and
communications technologies,
professional ties established during study
or work abroad, and explicit government
policies and incentives.”
Source: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators-2004
Integrating research and education projects, programs,
and networks to create constellations of scholars
2
2
1
“… the 21st century is 1
going to see a
cohesion of the
sciences and
disappearance of their
borders.”
2
4
5
4
3
1
5
3
4
6
- David Baltimore
3
5
2
1
3
5
…stimulating innovation.
4
Solving the innovator’s dilemma
Competency
Innovations
Biological Sciences
Sustainability science
Computer Science
and Engineering
Complex systems
Mathematical
and Physical Sciences
Informatics
Social, Behavioral and
Economic Sciences
Genomics/proteomics
Geological Sciences
Capacity building
International S&E
Integrating formal and
practical knowledge
Education and
Human Resources
?
From understanding to application…
• Development & Training
• Service to Society • Assessment & Reporting
• Broadening
• Networking &
Access
Basic
Partnerships
• Education
Research
&
Education
• Research &
• Strategies for Change
Scholarship
• Policy, Planning,
•Solution Options
& Administration
• Community
• Physical Operations &
Embeddedness
Infrastructure
• Knowledge Sharing &
Product Development
…from disciplines to transformative research & education.
Foster transformative research & education
How do we foster these ideas and values within NSF?
Distinctive Features of NSF
• Emphasis on integrating research and
education
• Close interaction with universities
• Rotator system: about 200 Program directors
are on loan from universities, labs or industry
• Reviews are advisory; 400 Ph.D. Program
Directors make funding decisions
How do we foster 21st Century Science
within NSF?
Research
Education
One of NSF’s long term investment priorities is to
foster research that focuses on living sustainability
on the Earth.
We are committed to supporting the development of
a globally-engaged scientific and technological
workforce that will be prepared to succeed in a
global knowledge economy.
We do this by using complementary approaches to
integrate research within education programs and
education within research programs.
Research Experiences for
Undergraduates Program
International Research Experiences
for Students:
Pan American Advanced Study Institutes
Cyberinfrastructure and
Collaborative Networks:
Transforming the way we teach
nanoHUB
Developing Country Collaborations in
Plant Genome Research:
Building a Global Network of Scientific
Excellence
•
The long-term goal is a greater and
sustained engagement of US
scientists with developing countries
•
Two way interactions (equal
partnership) required
•
15 projects supported in 10 countries
since FY 2004 (Bolivia, Brazil,
Colombia, India, Mexico, Nepal,
Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka)
•
Research focus is on issues of local
interest such as biotic and abiotic
stress, and on local crops such as oil
seed Brassica, rice, and chick peas.
Ecology of Infectious Diseases
NSF-NIH program supporting the development
of predictive models and discovery of principles
for relationships between anthropogenic
environmental change and transmission of
infectious agents.
Supporting the development of collaborative relationships
between U.S. institutions and international organizations:
Partnerships for International Research and Education
Conclusion
• Advancing knowledge in the 21st century will require
more flexible models that incorporate interdisciplinarity,
dynamic global networks of people, and information
technology that enables intellectual mobility.
• New paradigms in science and technology education are
needed that not only impart the necessary skills and
knowledge base to succeed, but also an appreciation for
the international and interdisciplinary context within
which science and technology operate.
• A key strategy used by National Science Foundation to
further these goals is to promote the integration of
research and education in funded projects, many of
which support research on questions of broad
international concern.