Beyond Sputnik: U.S. National Science Policy in the Twenty-first Century

This is the indispensable survey of U.S. national science policy: key players, concepts, and processes. It lays out the requirements for maintaining American scientific and technological preeminence into the 21st century. Science and technology are responsible for almost every advance in our modern quality of life. Yet science isn’t just about laboratories, telescopes and particle accelerators. Public policy exerts a huge impact on how the scientific community conducts its work. Beyond Sputnik is a comprehensive survey of the field, for use as an introductory textbook in courses and a reference guide for lawmakers, scientists, journalists and advocates seeking to understand the science policymaking process. A series of detailed case studies in each chapter - on topics from cloning and stem cell research to homeland security and science education - offer readers the opportunity to study real instances of policymaking at work. Authors and experts Homer Neal, Tobin Smith and Jennifer McCormick propose practical ways to implement sound public policy in science and technology, and highlight how these policies will guide the results of scientific discovery for years to come.