Science and Technology

December 7, 2007

American excellence in science and technology underlies this nation’s economic performance, quality of life, and national security, contributing both to its ability to project hard power and to articulate and enhance soft power. According to a National Academy of Sciences report, “the growth of economies throughout the world has been driven largely by the pursuit of scientific understanding, the application of engineering solutions, and continued technological innovation.” Continued advances in science and technology have played a major role in boosting American productivity, generating new, high-wage, high-value-added industries, and maintaining America’s standard of living in a globalized world where even technically skilled labor, as well as many resources, are far cheaper overseas than here.