Annual Lecture Series (in-person)
Lunchtime Talks (in-person)
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LTT: Heather Douglas
March 18, 2022 @ 12:10 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
Heather Douglas, Michigan State University, Center Senior Visiting Fellow
Rethinking Public Funding for Science
Abstract: Public funding for science increased dramatically after WWII. The initial justifications for public funding for science centered on the idea that basic research needed public funding because private funding would not be forthcoming for research so far removed from practical use. Since this initial justification, the public good that comes from basic research has been central to continual increases of public funding. Such funding has also been accompanied by efforts to accelerate the movement of research findings from basic to applied to use, a pipeline thought crucial to societal benefit. I will argue that such efforts are misguided, and that a very different set of justifications, accompanied by a different set of research funding practices, are needed in order to improve both the pursuit of science and the pursuit of public goods. I will not argue for decreased budgets for science overall, but rather different modes of allocation with different mechanisms for the assessment of both funding proposals and the results of the research tied to different aims for research. Through institutional reform in light of the realities of scientific research, we can have more accountable and responsible research, and improve the trustworthiness of scientific institutions.
Please Note: Non-Pitt individuals who want to attend our in-person talks must send an email in advance to Shoshi Burd-Baugh (shoshi.burdbaugh@pitt.edu) requesting Guest Building Access, or you will not be able to enter the Cathedral of Learning.
To attend this event over Zoom please register here: https://pitt.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TVOHcTJsSpaHPF15OadIgQ
Details
- Date:
- March 18, 2022
- Time:
-
12:10 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
- Event Categories:
- Lunchtime Talks, Lunchtime Talks 2021-22
Venue
- 1117 Cathedral of Learning
-
4200 Fifth Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15260 United States