Amidst the president’s national “Jobs and Opportunity Tour,” the Commerce Department quietly unrolled an innovative platform to support creative coordination among technology, trade, training, and economic growth in America’s regions.
CYBER SECURITY
U.S. intelligence reports ranked cyber threats as the top danger facing the country for the first time in April, but tensions have been running high about the government’s ability to protect digital assets and intelligence for years.
ENERGY INNOVATION
Clean energy critics are using Fisker’s financial woes to criticize the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee program. But Congress, under President Bush, designed the program intentionally to fund risky but forward thinking projects.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Junk science has been driving the legislative debate over “fetal pain” laws, making rational, scientific policymaking about women’s health nearly obsolete.
BIOETHICS
A story that began in 1951 and continues to play out today reminds us that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to guarantee the long-term confidentiality of genetic information.
SCIENCE IN SOCIETY
The budget sequestration is raising interesting questions about the purpose of science, in particular, on whether the pursuit of scientific knowledge can ever be usefully separated from the question of larger societal concerns.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
An elegant web video portrays chilling (or should we say warming?) satellite data about the declining volume of arctic sea ice. An ice free North Pole looks to be just around the corner.
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Equity crowdfunding presents great potential for some entrepreneurs to more smoothly navigate the valley of death and drive innovation, and examples from Europe suggest that effective safeguards against fraud are possible.
OCEANS POLICY
Sound fisheries management requires sound science, and sound science costs money. With a major piece of fisheries legislation up for reauthorization, Congress is set to decide whether or not adequate funding is available to ensure America’s fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.
ENERGY INDUSTRY
A major oil and gas company’s will spend $20 million per to run one of the world’s largest super computers. Why the great expense? Finding and squeezing oil out of the ground has never been harder or more expensive.
SEX SCIENCE
Despite the increasing popularity, sophistication, and availability of assisted reproductive technologies, the rights and responsibilities surrounding those who take part in these processes are still largely undefined.
ENERGY INNOVATION
It may be time for clean energy advocates to drop the “either/or” rhetoric and focus on shared priorities.
CYBER SECURITY
In light of yesterday’s executive order and the recent spate of cyber attacks, we take a look back at past cyber attacks, and what our government has done to fortify both the public and private sectors against hackers foreign and domestic.
ENERGY INNOVATION
V3Solar’s announcement about its new super-cheap “Spin Cell” solar cones is another reason for hope that cheap-as-dirt solar may around the corner, but making early predictions about the final cost of energy technologies is an inherently tricky business.
CLIMATE POLICY
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has delivered such cost-effective results that the states involved plan to reduce the carbon emissions cap by an additional 45 percent.
STEM COMMUNICATIONS
A White House budget official announced Friday that the U.S. government will not build an orbital planet-destroying battle-station, but gave a shout-out to real-life space achievements.
INNOVATION
Throughout our nation’s history, investments in research have led to groundbreaking innovations, and we must continue making those investments to stay competitive in the 21st century.
INNOVATION
Though he hasn’t asked for a lot of attention, the president has quietly made ambitious reforms for small businesses across the country through legislation and executive action that range from common-sense to very bold.
INVESTING IN SCIENCE
If we want the U.S. economy to innovate and remain competitive in the 21st century, we can not afford to take for granted our elected leaders’ support for research, development, and the other increasingly numerous drivers of innovation.
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
A new manufacturing institute will bring stakeholders together for collaborative innovation, illustrating the differences between traditional industrial policy and 21st century innovation policy.
Science Progress and American Progress's Doing What Works project teamed up to produce a set of policy proposals that the Obama administration and Congress can adopt to reinvest in the building blocks of American science, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Read the overview of the five reports.
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good. Scientific inquiry entails global responsibilities. It should lead to a more equitable, safer, and healthier future for all of humankind.