AAAS leader shares science and technology goals, sparks optimism

LAWRENCE — Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and chair of the Vision for American Science & Technology (VAST) task force, visited the University of Kansas March 26-27 to share goals for science and technology. The task force’s recently released plan to advance America’s scientific enterprise and global competitiveness was developed by more than 70 of the nation’s most influential leaders in science, industry, education and philanthropy. 

The three VAST goals are to:

• Unleash the full power of America’s science and technology enterprise by reducing inefficiencies and breaking down barriers that hinder progress today.
• Build and empower the strongest and most adaptable workforce in human history to benefit our people and sustain our leadership as science and technology innovators.
• Drive breakthroughs, advance global competitiveness, address societal challenges, and strengthen our national security with commitments to fundamental discovery research, applied research, and research infrastructure.

Parikh’s presentations to faculty, students, scholars and leaders on the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses, including meetings with KU’s AAAS fellows, provided context for advocacy efforts currently underway to advance the VAST goals and enlist congressional support.

“Sudip is a master at bringing people together, finding common interest and respectfully advocating for the needs we have in research universities,” said Barbara Bichelmeyer, chief academic officer, provost and executive vice chancellor of the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. She serves as a member of the VAST task force.

Parikh’s address carried notes of optimism to an audience responding to possibly significant cuts of research grant funding by the Trump administration. “There is still a lot of potential and opportunity, even in this fiscal year, for science.” He said the courts will decide whether the administration can withhold funds appropriated by Congress, but “if those court cases turn out the way I hope they do — and that constitutional lawyers tell me they should — then NIH, NSF, those funding agencies will have to spend those dollars. And they will have to have grant applications that are in their bins, in their inboxes, that they can put to peer review to then send money out before September of this year.”

He acknowledged there would be some hard days ahead and advised the audience to continue aspects of their scholarship. “You should be anticipating, you should be planning, you should be doing all kinds of risk analysis, but don’t take apart that infrastructure just yet because we have agency in this.”

Parikh believes the bonds of trust and relationships in communities will be most impactful in augmenting the efforts by science leaders in Washington. 

“As members of the scientific community, the thing I would tell folks is just make sure we are talking and showing up in our communities. We’ve got to tell the story of why this amazing economic engine, this amazing engine of understanding, this amazing engine of changing the lives of humanity is worthwhile for investment," he said. "It’s a privilege to get to follow your curiosity. It is a privilege to get to do what we do. And when you have a privilege like that, it is incumbent upon us to build those relationships to ensure that folks get why what you’re doing is helpful to the community, to the state and to the country.” 

Find more information about the VAST initiative. Watch Parikh’s full presentation on KU's Lawrence campus.