The "Quiet Crisis": Developing the Next Generation of Leaders for a
Complex World

Presented by

Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D.

President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Observance of Black History Month

National Science Foundation

Arlington, Virginia

Room 1235

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

10-11 a.m.

Mr. Ronald D. Branch, Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity
Programs (OEOP) will give the opening remarks. Dr. Jackson will be
introduced by Dr. Kathy L. Olsen, Deputy Director, of NSF.

Thank you, Dr. Olsen and Mr. Branch.

Good morning. Thank you very much for asking me to be part of your
observance of Black History Month. For these four weeks, we celebrate
heroes, leaders, innovators, trailblazers, creators---courageous men and
women who have helped to shape America, and who have influenced and
inspired people around the world.

This observance dates back to 1926, when Harvard professor Carter G.
Woodson launched a Negro History Week in February to coincide with the
birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. This was the
forerunner of the national Black History Month, which we mark each year.
Dr. Woodson wanted to bring this rich history to a wide audience, and to
shine a light on the important contributions of African-Americans. He
said he wanted to make "the world to see the Negro as a participant
rather than as a lay figure in history."[^1]

We continue Dr. Woodson's legacy in the 21^st^ century. There are so
many important stories to tell of the contributions of African-Americans
to this country---and so many stories **yet** to be told, especially in
the sciences.

In my life, I have found African-American forebears, who, while,
perhaps, not household names, have had great meaning for me. One of my
favorite books as a child was the biography of Benjamin Banneker. He was
born in 1731, in Ellicott\'s Mills (now Ellicott City), Maryland, the
son of a former slave. Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught clockmaker,
astronomer, and mathematician, and he helped to plan the city of
Washington, D.C., which is my hometown. I was drawn to his life story
because he accomplished a great deal, despite having to face deep-rooted
prejudice. But, he did not let it defeat his drive to develop his
intellect, to engage with the world, and to leave his mark upon it.

Another prominent African-African who inspired me was Dr. Ernest Everett
Just, one of the most highly respected scientists of his time. He
graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1907, then earned a
Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1916. He taught at
Howard University from 1909 until his death in 1941. His summers of
research studying the fertilization of the marine mammal cell at the
Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, received
international acclaim. He wrote one of the most important text books of
the 20th century, *Biology of the Cell Surface*, published in 1939. He
also helped to nurture the next generation of African-American
scientists by becoming a mentor to Roger Arliner Young---the first
African-American woman to earn a doctorate in zoology.

As you may know, the NOVA series on PBS recently told the story of Percy
Julian, one of the 20^th^ century's most influential scientists. His
scientific breakthroughs included the conversion of soybeans into
synthetic steroids on an industrial scale and discovering the key to
synthesizing cortisone in a way that would make it widely available to
millions. Yet the title of the program, "Forgotten Genius," reminds us
that he was one of the unsung American heroes whose story should be
told. He was born in 1899 and grew up under Jim Crow in Alabama. His
parents believed in the power of education, so he attended DePauw
University in Indiana, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and eventually earning
his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1931. Amid struggles in
Dr. Julian's academic career, he turned to a risky research project that
would make his reputation. He succeeded in synthesizing physostigmine,
an alkaloid used as a glaucoma drug---beating a chemist at Oxford
University to the finish line of this major research achievement. Even
so, because of discrimination, Dr. Julian struggled for positions as a
researcher in industry, until he was offered the directorship of the
research laboratory for the Glidden paint company in Chicago.

Throughout his career he hired and mentored other young black chemists.
One of his protégées said of Dr. Julian: "When I saw that here was a
person who looked like me, who was not only in the field but succeeding
magnificently, at the top of his profession, that was profound."[^2] Dr.
Julian went on to found his own successful company in Chicago---and, in
fact, became one of the richest black American entrepreneurs of his
time.

Why am I telling you about these three men today? Because they are all
of our forebears: individuals who pursued---and achieved---excellence in
the sciences, who overcame obstacles, who devoted themselves to
discovery and the pursuit of knowledge, and who were deeply concerned
about nurturing the next generation. They inspire **me** to do what I
can, in my role as the president of a research university, to help
create that next generation of scientists, of leaders, and of
national---and international---decision-makers: global citizens who will
understand and unravel the complexities of 21^st^ century challenges,
such as energy security, climate change, economic development, and
health and safety.

In short, we must prepare this generation for a new world. This new
world, we hardly need be reminded, is global and multidisciplinary. It
is evolving new configurations and relationships between and among
nations, peoples, cultures, philosophies, values, governments. No longer
are we contending, for instance, with a single, geographic "adversary,"
as was the case throughout the Cold War. Our new "opponents" are what we
might call "threats without borders"---AIDS and the "bird flu," for
instance; terrorism, and the myriad challenges of a significant segment
of global population without sufficient food, education, health care,
and energy.

These are the challenges nations and peoples are facing in our young
century. And, to contend with them, and to resolve them, virtually
**all** entities---from governments, corporations, and policy agencies,
to universities, other institutions, professions, even individuals---are
having to devise new strategies, new alternatives, new approaches.
Indeed, transformation at some level is the order of the day, and almost
**universal**.

This new world, of course, requires that we attract and nurture more
young people to the sciences and to engineering.

For this reason, I have been speaking for some years about the critical
need to invest in our human talent in science and engineering. Several
trends are converging:

> the aging and imminent retirement of today's scientists and engineers.
>
> an insufficient number of young scholars in our nation\'s science and
> engineering \"pipeline\" to replace those who will retire.
>
> a decline in the number of international scientists and students who
> come to the United States to work and to study. This group long has
> been an important source of skilled talent for the U.S. science and
> engineering enterprise.
>
> the concurrent change in our national demographics: Young women and
> ethnic minority youth now account for more than half of our student
> population. This \"new majority\" traditionally has been
> **underrepresented** in science and engineering, have few role models,
> and yet it is from this group that the next generations of scientists
> and engineers also must come.
>
> Finally, federal investment in **basic research---**in the physical
> sciences and engineering[^3] **---**has declined by half since 1970,
> as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Since research and
> education potentiate each other, this has had a deleterious effect on
> the creation of a new generation of scientists and engineers.

This is what I term the \"Quiet Crisis.\"

It is \"quiet\" because it takes decades to educate a physicist or a
nuclear engineer, so the true impact unfolds only gradually, over time.

It is a \"crisis\" because discoveries and innovations create the new
industries which keep our economy thriving, and which mitigate the
global scourges that breed suffering and global instability. Without
innovation we fail---as a nation and as a world.

Reports, by major corporate, academic, government, and private sector
entities, **all** have recognized these trends and warn of the
consequences, if we fail to act,[^4] and national conversation is
engaged. We are at the point of action.

Throughout last year, the President, and Members of Congress from both
political parties, recognized the need to do more. Many efforts to
increase basic research funding, to educate the next generation of
scientists and engineers, and to address energy security were
introduced. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate
heeded the call when they voted to pass the FY07 joint continuing
resolution.  The measure freezes funding for most domestic and foreign
aid programs however there are modest but critically needed funding
increases for research agencies such as the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department
of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The President signed this bill just
last week.  In addition, the President's recently released fiscal 2008
budget proposal would continue investments in his American
Competitiveness Initiative and proposes provisions in the No Child Left
Behind Act to improve mathematics education and require science
proficiency of all students by 2020.

As we address the "quiet crisis," we also must ask: How are we to
educate students for global leadership, and for a marketplace\--of
commerce and of ideas\-- that is increasingly international in scope?

As young people assume the reins of leadership, they will be called upon
to find the political and diplomatic solutions for global challenges,
but they also must find the technological solutions, discoveries, and
innovations.

As education has evolved over time---and, indeed, as there is
considerably **more** knowledge to acquire to achieve mastery---we have
moved away from a basic **integration** of knowledge into distinct and
isolated specialties; and we too quickly separate the study of science,
in all of its richness and multiplicity, from the study of the
humanities, arts, and social sciences. We must help the next generation
to move from the constrictions of specialization and into the realm of
multidisciplinarity---where in lies future scientific breakthroughs
which will have the greatest impact on individuals and society.

It should be our goal, further, to enable students to acquire
multicultural sophistication, intellectual agility, and enough knowledge
of science and technology to enable them to take what they know and to
apply it in diverse arenas, and especially in emerging fields such as
nanotechnology and biotechnology, which are inherently multidisciplinary
and global in scope and effect. Innovation needs cross pollination of
disciplines and cultures. A global experience---through semesters of
study abroad, and utilization of the Internet for cooperative,
collaborative projects---is becoming an essential part of a robust
educational experience.

\[PAUSE\]

Our pre-eminence in science and technology long has lent the United
States its global leadership. Now that a single "enemy" nation no longer
exists, a legitimate goal of science and technology in the 21^st^
century is to address the "threats without borders," which endanger the
planet and its peoples, **and** to raise the standard of living for a
world population which will double by mid-century. It is **a**
legitimate goal for the United States to optimize our scientific and
technological capacity, and to continue to exert responsible global
leadership. Some speak of this in terms of American competitiveness in a
global economy. While the common element, between today's challenges and
yesterday's arms and space race with the former Soviet Union, may be
competition, it must be more benign and collegial, with the U.S. seeking
not to win in a zero sum game, but to maintain its economic standards,
and its share of discovery and innovation, while other nations also
rise.

Our ability to compete in the coming decades depends upon our young
people, especially their ability to engage in and advance the new "space
race" ---the pursuit of energy security. In that regard, we have a lot
of work to do.

So, what can we do? We must provide young people with access,
opportunity, and mentoring. This begins in the earliest school years, of
course, where we can do much more to promote science education for all
and to encourage interest and talent, especially among underrepresented
minorities and those in less economically advantaged schools.

We must provide opportunities through myriad pipeline programs that show
young people what it is like to study, research, and discover in the
sciences---and the many possible career pathways they can explore. For
example, at Rensselaer, we recently hosted our annual Black Family
Technology Awareness Day, where more than 600 students and their
families attended workshops designed to spur interest in careers in
science and engineering, and to offer tips on preparing for the college
admissions and scholarship process. We find that many families attend
this day year after year. This event---and others like it at Rensselaer
and at universities across the country---provide numerous mentoring
opportunities as well. In fact, a Rensselaer alumnus who is now studying
for his doctorate at Drexel University chaired the event during his
senior year, and now returns each year to participate---and he hopes to
launch a similar event at Drexel.[^5]

I know that the National Science Foundation is at the forefront of
mentoring the next generation through your programs, grants, and awards
for K-12 teachers, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral
fellows, through your support for faculty researchers in the early
stages of their careers, and through national science policy. In
addition, each one of us can do what we can, where we are. For example,
we can take an interest in science education in our children's schools
and encourage the development of pipeline programs where they do not
exist---and support the ones already in place. We can encourage young
people to pursue higher education in the sciences, and we can help to
make that possible by supporting scholarship programs, especially those
geared toward underrepresented minorities. We can challenge ourselves,
as well, by pursuing our own advanced degrees, engaging in professional
development experiences, and by keeping current with discovery and
innovation in the sciences.

Day to day, we each can encourage---and challenge---our colleagues to do
the same. We each have the power, and the responsibility, no matter what
our roles, to create a culture that promotes science, respects knowledge
and intellectual engagement, and provides opportunities for all to
advance---in our workplaces, in our communities, and in our country. We
should not underestimate our power to have an impact on another's life.

Consider the example of NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham. She never
dreamed of becoming an astronaut, although she worked as an engineer for
the Shuttle program at the Kennedy Space Center in a variety of
positions since the late 1980s. But one of her supervisors encouraged
her to apply for the astronaut program. She did not make it on her first
attempt, but she did return to school to earn a master's degree in space
systems while working the "night shift" at NASA (she already had a
master's in engineering management). It took her several years, but she
made the cut on her second try in 1996, and worked on a succession of
Shuttle missions until she flew with the Shuttle Discovery crew in
December.[^6] Not forgetting those who encouraged her, Astronaut
Higginbotham invited to the launch her favorite science teacher from the
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago. (She became interested
in engineering when she tested into a "minority engineering program" in
high school.) She now speaks to students about her career to inspire
them to work hard to and pursue their dreams.

\[PAUSE \]

The Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston said: "The present was
an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell." As we
mark Black History Month, let us remember the trailblazers who came
before us---and reflect on what we can learn from their lives---and from
their achievements. They create for us---no matter what our background,
our level of education, or our career paths---an imperative to work
toward a better future---and to bring science front and center as the
means to meet our challenges.

The work you do is vital to this goal. As you go forward, I challenge
**you** to blaze new trails, to achieve at higher levels than you think
possible, and to create the next generation of global citizens and
leaders in the sciences. Let us continue that work.

Thank you, again, for inviting me here today. I would be happy to
entertain questions.

\~ END \~

[^1]: History.com. *Black History Month*.

[^2]: *NOVA: Forgotten Genius*. Pbs.org.

[^3]: Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science

[^4]: ---reports by the Council on Competitiveness, the Business
    Roundtable, the Center for Strategic and International Studies,
    National Academies, AAAS.

[^5]: "Math, science on Saturday? You bet," by Rick Clemenson. *Times
    Union*. February 11, 2007.

[^6]: "Her Time for Discovery." November, 15, 2006. nasa.gov.