The science community has successfully tricked a major politician into thinking that the U.S. is experiencing a rapid decline in its science and technology standing in the world. In the March issue of the American Physical Society News (link here, subscription required) Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), chair the very influential House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the major science agencies, writes the following:

In my role as chairman of the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce
Appropriations subcommittee, which controls the budget of NASA, the National Science Foundation, the White House Office of Science and Technology policy and NOAA, I have met over the past year with groups that advocate for business, education, and research and development. What I heard from them is that America is facing unprecedented competition from countries such as China and India and our role as the global innovation leader is being challenged. I was alarmed to learn that three key measuring sticks show America on a downward slope: patents awarded to American scientists; papers published by American scientists, and Nobel prizes won by American scientists.

What does the data say? Actually, the opposite:


Patents granted: Not decreasing, but increasing

Papers published: Not decreasing, but increasing

Nobel prizes: Not declining, US dominant, consider:

The United States is by far the leading country in the world since 1951 in awards of Nobel Prizes in Science, which include Chemistry, Physics and Medicine-Physiology. United States scientists received 195 or 56% of the 350 Nobel Prizes in Science awarded from 1951 to 2005. The United States has received a majority of Nobel Prizes in Science each decade from 1951 to 2000. From 1991 to 2005 U.S. scientists earned 59 (57.8%) of the 102 Nobel Prizes awarded in Science.

The solution to this “crisis”? According to Congressman Wolf:

Remembering how the nation was mobilized to compete for the space frontier after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in the late 1950’s, I wrote President Bush last year urging him to embrace this issue. I asked that he dramatically increase our nation’s innovation budget–federal basic research and development–over the next decade to ensure U.S. economic leadership in the 21st century.

I wonder if anyone is going to let Congressman Wolf know that he is basing policy on a complete misunderstanding of the “problem”? Don’t count on it. Special interests are especially special when they are yours, and what is a little fudging of the facts when science funding is at stake? The science community plays the crisis card inappropriately at some risk, as policy makers don’t usually like being hoodwinked.