What a magical evening we had a week ago for the biweekly Media X lecture. Artie Bienenstock is Dean Emeritus for the Advanced Research work at Stanford -- a modest $1 Billion per year activity that he led with discretion and insight after a long illustrious career, including a four year stint in the Office of Science and Technology in the Clinton Administration.
His career includes a very strong humanitarian streak, evidenced in a talk that he gave in Stanford's Memorial Church in 2005 (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/november16/bienwmmw-111605.html)
For our audience, he deftly dissected the Obama Science proposals from the campaign documents, analyzed the likely people selections for various tasks, and regaled the group with his insight into the various political tradeoffs that have to be considered.
He foresees a rebirth of intellectual inquiry into science after the disdain and ignorance of the past Administration (thank gawd), but he was cautious and even sharply critical of the bulge in funding that NIH had received from 1997-2005, which is now being touted as the panacea for other fields. It was a clear assessment of the problems of managing to a rising budget if you get used to it -- a perennial disease now afflicting most state governments as well as the Feds.
The problem that he projected that was most concerning is the short term thinking that pervades our business society today seems to have become endemic even among the science community -- the net result is that the focus on productivity and "low hanging fruit" almost always has the corollary effect of drying up the meaningful but unanticipated next break-through. So similar to our findings with the HP study!
The rapt audience stayed for an extended Q & A period and refreshments, but not before one student said: "So what should I do as I leave here tonight to make a difference?" Bienenstock offered several thoughts, but no clear path. I couldn't think of a good plan for myself, unfortunately.
What is your personal plan to make a difference?
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2 comments:
This is an overall response to all of your posts to date...What a slick set of findings indeed, re: One Laptop Per Child. I, for one, love the findings. Collaboration among students/people? Hurrah!! And elimnating temptation from parents to steal from their children? Double hurrah!!
But no clear path on how to make a difference from Artie, eh? The ever lasting question...My recommendation at the moment is to go see the movie "Milk." As most know, San Francisco openly-gay city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were gunned down by former supervisor Dan White in 1978, during a time of hostility surrounding Prop 6...which is eerily reminiscent of Prop 8, forty years later. It makes one wonder how much progress has really occurred. But Milk's story has many uplifting messages: he was past 40 before he did anything "meaningful" and accomplished that in 8 short years prior to his death; he proved that ONE person can change things if they believe strongly enough; and they can ignite passion in others to continue their legacy.
As my stepson quoted recently: The meaning of life is for your own life to have meaning. The trick of course is identifying what that is. Thankfully there are brave souls like Milk who can help light the way for those want to be part of something larger. Most of us probably have activist inclinations - we're just seeking what to cling onto. How to activate the activist within. Any ideas welcome!
How to activate the activist within? Great question! I saw a note recently that suggested that "Journaling is a way of gaining a wealth of self-awareness simply by allowing yourself the opportunity to explore your thoughts, feelings, emotions, wants and needs and to be inspired by your dreams." Not really yet an activist, but it goes in the right direction, I think...
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