Our Sputnik

50 years ago the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, and in the process launched an American commitment to science education. The accomplishments and advances made by the generation of scientists and engineers who grew up and were educated in the years after Sputnik remind us just how productive that investment in education was.

Today, we don't have one clear signal like Sputnik that our commitment to science, technology and innovation needs to be renewed. Instead we have a gradual, but clear, loss of technological leadership. The United States is now a net importer of high technology products and the number of American students pursuing advanced degrees in science is declining.

We have to create our own Sputnik moment for the 21st century. Our national security, our economy and the environment could be transformed for the better if the United States took on the challenge of replacing petroleum with renewable alternatives. This goal would be hard to achieve, but it would inspire our students, boost our economy and drive innovation. We need more students with the science and math skills to take on this challenge, and we can educate them, just as we did in the days after Sputnik.

50 year ago we made a commitment to making American science the best in the world. We need to renew that commitment so we can confront the serious problems we face now.