Quotes & Testimonials
“The rest of the world is catching up. Science excellence is no longer the domain of just the U.S.''
– John E. Jankowski, a senior analyst at the National Science Foundation
“The sky is not falling on science. Maybe there are some clouds, no, things that need attention. Any problems are within the power of the United States to deal with in a way that maintains the vitality of the research enterprise.”
– John H. Marburger III, Science Adviser to the President and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
“Businesses are going to China not just because of low costs, but to take advantage of China's growing scientific excellence… It's frightening. But you've got to go where the horses are... An eventual danger is the slow loss of intellectual property as local professionals start their own businesses with what they have learned from American companies.”
– Ross Armbrecht, former president of the Industrial Research Institute
“Many other countries have realized that science and technology are key to economic growth and prosperity. They're catching up to us. Americans [can not] rest on our laurels.”
– Jennifer Bond, former vice president for international affairs of the Council on Competitiveness
“We absolutely must strengthen our talent pool. Otherwise, we will lose our competitive edge within a generation.”
– Charlene Barshefsky, an Asia expert who served as U.S. trade representative under President Clinton
“Closing the door to foreign professionals puts U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage and pushes jobs out of the country. Worse, it does so at a time when other nations are rolling out the welcome mat… If the U.S. spurns this human capital, it will find a home somewhere else. And that will be America's loss.”
– The Wall Street Journal Editorial, November 30, 2007
"In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears--and that is our problem."
– Tom Friedman, author and columnist for the New York Times
“We have a different kind of war, an economic war. The importance of investing in long-term research for winning that war hasn't been understood.”
– Robert Birgeneau, physicist and chancellor of University of California, Berkeley
“This is like Sputnik. We need to give this the same focus and energy.”
– Donald Evans, former Secretary of Commerce, speaking about American competitiveness
“By almost any measure – academic prizes, patents granted to U.S. companies, the trade deficit in high-technology products – we’re losing ground while countries like China, South Korea and India are catching up fast. Unless things change, they will overtake us, and the breathtaking burst of discovery that has been driving our economy for the past half-century will be over.”
– Excerpt from TIME Magazine, “Are We Losing Our Edge?” February 5, 2006
“It's unbelievable. It's amazing to see these output numbers of papers and patents going up so fast.”
– Diana Hicks, chairwoman of the school of public policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, speaking about Asia's growth in science and technical innovation.
“We have to turn inward and take responsibility at the grass-roots level and try to deal with the education gap that affects our country. We are producing fewer math and science majors than China or India per year. Does this make sense when we want to move up the knowledge ladder? I think not.”
– Carla Hills, U.S. trade representative under the first President Bush
“Over the long run, few issues are as important to a nation’s long-term economic security and global standing as being a leader in moving life sciences forward.”
– Lawrence Summers, Director of the National Economic Council
“Once admired as engines of American innovation, drug companies are now treated like Big Tobacco on Capitol Hill.”
– The Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2008