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Making an impact<\/h3>\n
Advancing science in Oregon, the nation and the world: read about faculty and student research<\/small><\/em> In a world facing pressing problems\u2014a sluggish economy, starving people, a rapidly changing climate, growing unrest in various parts of the world, species becoming extinct at high rates\u2014money to address these problems is scarce and our focus fractured. These are grave concerns. They deserve thoughtful solutions. The need for strong commitment to scientific research has never been greater. While it may seem luxurious to toil and pursue basic science when problems demanding solutions appear at every turn, it is more important than ever to keep our eye on the ball and our scientists in the lab. The College of Science uses a multi-pronged approach, pursuing fundamental research as well as hybrid, or use-inspired basic research<\/em>.<\/p>\n Although the distractions of immediate crises are hard to avoid, it is important to remain focused on investing in fundamental research with long term albeit unknown benefits.\u00a0 If it becomes no one\u2019s priority, we will face irreversible<\/em> consequences. A multi-pronged research approach is necessary for three reasons:\u00a0 the world has changed since public investment in research; research needs to be driven by the needs of both applied and basic science; and practical benefits have accrued from basic as well as applied science with substantial benefits to society.<\/p>\n First, the world has changed since 1945. Vannevar Bush\u2019s noteworthy paper\u00a0Science\u2014The Endless Frontier, <\/em>a report to President Truman, offers a historical perspective. Bush argued that basic research was important to national survival for both military and commercial reasons, requiring sustained government support for science and technology. The report defined research as \u201cbasic\u201d or \u201capplied\u201d and this delineation has influenced much of science and technology policy in the United States over the past seven decades, according to the article \u201cRIP: The Basic\/Applied Research Dichotomy\u201d that appeared in Issues in Science and Technology <\/em>in November 2013.<\/p>\n Secondly, research needs to be driven by the needs of both applied and basic science. At a recent Congressional hearing, Vinton Cerf, a pioneer in the development of the Internet, said, \u201cGovernment support for basic and applied research is crucial. Not only does it bring great civil and economic benefits, but the government also has the unique capacity to sustain this kind of effort.\u201d\u00a0Sustained support will provide the next generation of scientists with the resources to move the country forward.<\/p>\n Recent momentum is encouraging. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2014 extends 2007 legislation to support critical research at government agencies and at non-government research institutions and to advance the best research from the lab to the marketplace. As the bill states, R&D investments support new industries, drive job creation and advance technology; secondly, scientific and technological progress is directly linked to increased prosperity, supporting a healthy economy.<\/p>\n Today the federal government funds 60% of all basic research in the country, according to November 2013 data reported in the Washington Post<\/em>. Too often the role of basic research, particularly basic research, in scientific and technological advancement has been undervalued, according to a recent report, \u201cRestoring the foundation: The vital role of research in preserving the American dream\u201d published by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.<\/p>\n Lastly, practical benefits have accrued from basic as well as applied research. In a 1988 national radio address, President Reagan said \u201cAlthough basic research does not begin with a particular practical goal, when you look at the results over the years, it ends up being one of the most practical things government does\u2026 Major industries, including TV, communications and computer industries, wouldn’t be where they are today without developments that began with basic research.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 25 years later, Neal Lane, former Director of the National Science Foundation, reiterated those sentiments in his Congressional testimony this summer:<\/p>\n \u201cAs President Reagan and other presidents have realized, virtually every new technology is traceable to a research discovery or series of discoveries, often made by individuals having no idea how their research might help create jobs and benefit millions of people….New knowledge and technologies\u2026are the lifeblood of today\u2019s accelerating high-tech, knowledge-based economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter Rawlings, president of the American Association of Universities, observed that the \u201cfundamental technologies that underlie today\u2019s remarkable consumer electronics, including GPS, multi-touch screens, LCD displays, lithium-ion batteries and cellular networks, were all derived from research conducted in universities and government laboratories and supported by the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n But industry can\u2019t support the nation\u2019s basic research on its own, according to the proposed America COMPETES Reauthorization bill.\u00a0With increased competition, fewer corporations are significantly investing in basic research, due to its risky nature, long-term investment, and tip off to the competitors, according to the bill.<\/p>\n “If you look at total R&D growth, including the corporate and government side, the U.S. is now at the low end,” says Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in a November article in the Washington<\/em> Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n Societal needs change and problems develop, often fast and without warning. To develop innovative solutions, governments often turn to people with fundamental training:\u00a0 researchers who are broad thinkers with skill sets that reflect holistic thinking and who can respond quickly to emerging problems.<\/p>\n The following are examples of breakthroughs happening unexpectedly because of fundamental research.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Fighting](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/gasmask.jpg\")
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\nwarfare with chemistry<\/small><\/a><\/div>\n![\"Trees](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/tree.jpg\")
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\nin energy storage<\/small><\/a><\/div>\n![\"New](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/mouse-thumb.jpg\")
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\nbreak-throughs<\/small><\/a><\/div>\n![\"New,](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/orangepill.jpg\")
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\nspot fake malaria drugs<\/small><\/a><\/div>\n![\"Even](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/coral.jpg\")
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\nhave viruses<\/small><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nBreakthroughs<\/h4>\n
![\"Chimpanzee\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/02\/chimpanzee.jpg\")
Studying monkeys\u2019 social behaviors and eating habits led to insights into HIV (Radiolab: Patient Zero<\/a>, November 2011)<\/p>\n![\"Algae\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/02\/chlamydomonas.jpg\")
Research into how algae move toward light paved the way for optogenetics\u2014using light and genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins to control brain cells (Nature 2010 Method of the Year<\/a>).<\/p>\n![\"Artist's](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/02\/black-hole.jpg\")
Black hole research in the 90s revealed how to reduce radio wave interference – giving us WiFi and revolutionizing the way the world uses computers (ICRAR award<\/a>).<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/02\/nyc.jpg\")
A 1965 optometry study informed architecture and saved lives on 9\/11 (