The director of the Nationwide Science Basis, Sethuraman Panchanathan, paid a go to to San Diego this week to dedicate an upgraded earthquake shake desk at UC San Diego. The NSF invested greater than $16 million within the challenge. Panchanathan was right here to see how the inspiration’s annual funding within the area is being spent. The NSF invested $150 million in San Diego analysis in 2021 alone. Panchanathan spoke with KPBS science and know-how reporter Thomas Fudge.

You say that science is a bipartisan difficulty and it definitely needs to be. However do you are feeling that scientists get the respect that they deserve in terms of points which are politically controversial?

Panchanathan: I feel they do — so long as they’ve information and knowledge that backs up what they are saying. And I’ve by no means seen something lower than respect for scientists. And this is among the issues that NSF does and promotes, isn’t just investing in superb concepts. However, additionally, how is science is represented? How is science perceived? (We should clarify) how science turns into an answer pathway for a lot of totally different grand challenges, most significantly, financial innovation and prosperity throughout the nation. I feel that is one thing NSF does very well and will do higher into the long run.

What are you doing in San Diego?

Panchanathan: I am very delighted to be right here as a result of we’re all the time in search of exemplars of what NSF stands for. I discuss concerning the DNA of NSF. The primary one is curiosity-driven, discovery-based explorations. And the opposite power is use-inspired, solutions-focused translations of improvements. These are extremely intertwined. And so this symbiosis of what the DNA represents, I discover that San Diego is a superb exemplar of that.

Like Qualcomm?

Panchanathan: I’m very enthusiastic about Qualcomm as an organization as a result of Qualcomm was a small-business-innovation research-investment program of the NSF within the early ’80s. And right here it’s right now, a multibillion-dollar firm, is one thing we’re very pleased with. That’s the sort of inventiveness and what invention means for selling an amazing quantity of prosperity. Jobs. We would like 1000’s and 1000’s of Qualcomms all around the nation, not simply restricted to nice locations like San Diego, however even in locations that don’t have such financial vibrancy. We would like it in all places. As a result of that’s how we guarantee prosperity for everybody.

In a few of your statements you’ve talked about challenges we’re going through. What do you are feeling are the largest challenges in our society and the way does science want to reply?

Panchanathan: The best problem I’d say is that we now have not made prospects for each citizen of this nation to have the ability to have the alternatives that they really deserve. So the NSF desires to see how expertise in all places could be energized. And so this we will do if science turns into a motivator and an inspirer. How do you gentle a STEM spark in each child? Now, a few of them will pursue science and engineering as a profession pathway. Some might not. But it surely’s necessary for them to have that publicity to science. And if that’s there because the underlying material of what we do for all the youngsters throughout the nation, I feel we are going to serve ourselves very properly for the long run.

One other huge problem, I feel you’ll agree, is international warming. Is that an issue that may be solved by science or is that solely an issue we will remedy by altering the way in which we stay? Altering our way of life?

Panchanathan: I feel international warming, local weather diversifications and mitigations — I feel it’s a complete drawback. We can’t try to resolve it by saying: “If solely I do extra science, I’ll remedy it. If I solely do extra know-how, I’ll remedy it. If solely we do behavioral adjustments, we will remedy it.” It’s all the above and extra. It’s people coming collectively and addressing this complete drawback and discovering options which are actual and have an effect. Solely making an attempt to take one slice of it’s doing a disservice to the issue, and you can’t discover sustainable options for the long run.

What would you say are your priorities on the NSF?

Panchanathan: How do you guarantee that the invention sciences are much more strengthened? On the identical time, we can’t do that with out the varied views which are wealthy and wanted for making progress, which signifies that inclusion and variety is a vital a part of how we advance.

Is there a manner you could be particular when it comes to areas of research. I imply, given the challenges we now have and given the place science is transferring, do you see the NSF beginning to fund loads of one sort of factor?

Panchanathan: No. Under no circumstances! We’re the Nationwide Science Basis, which suggests all points of science needs to be funded. You by no means know what’s going to remedy the following huge drawback and the place the innovation goes to return from. It could come from the fusion of all of those scientific disciplines working collectively. The NSF is serious about furthering not solely scientific disciplines, but additionally motivating fusion and new areas of discovery.