Students Becoming Scientists in the World: Integrating Research and

Education for Sustainable Development

Dr. James P. CollinsDirectorate 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

“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

21st Century Science

“… the 21st century is going to see a cohesion of the sciences and disappearance of their borders.”

- David Baltimore1

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Integrating research and education projects, programs, and networks to create constellations of scholars

…stimulating innovation.

Solving the innovator’s dilemma

Competency Innovations

Biological Sciences

Computer Science and Engineering

Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

Geological Sciences

International S&E

Education andHuman Resources

Sustainability science

Complex systems

Informatics

Genomics/proteomics

Capacity building

Integrating formal and practical knowledge

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BasicResearch

&Education

• Service to Society• Broadening

Access

• Education

• Physical Operations & Infrastructure

• Research & Scholarship

• Policy, Planning, & Administration

• Development & Training

• Assessment & Reporting

• Networking & Partnerships

• Strategies for Change

• Community Embeddedness

• Knowledge Sharing & Product Development

•Solution Options

From understanding to application…

…from disciplines to transformative research & education.

Disciplinary

Multi-disciplinary

Interdisciplinary

Transdisciplinary

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?

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 Education

Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program

International Research Experiences for Students:

Pan American Advanced Study Institutes

Cyberinfrastructure andCollaborative 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.