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Dr. Rita Colwell Remarks at The Potomac Institute July 17, 2002

23 July, 2002

Prepared for Delivery

Dr. Rita R. Colwell Director National Science Foundation

Luncheon Remarks Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Arlington, Virginia

“NSF’s Role in Homeland Security”

July 17, 2002

Good afternoon. I appreciate the very kind welcome. And let me again thank the Potomac Institute for honoring me last week as one of its Navigator Award recipients.

I am pleased to speak to you today about the National Science Foundation’s work in support of homeland security and about the importance of science and technology in this era of terrorism.

I want to stress the value of effective collaboration among all scientists, researchers, and policy thinkers in our national effort to counter the threats we face.

Sometimes an historical moment arrives that dramatically changes the way we think about ourselves and our place in the world. No one can dispute that 9/11 is one of those times.

Our era is being redefined by the threat of terrorism. We are vulnerable in our homes and feel helpless as individuals to respond, and being in Washington, D.C., perhaps even more so. We are reexamining our roles as citizens and searching for ways to serve our country.

This week the President has outlined a national strategy for homeland security. In his report he emphasizes the importance of science and technology as a key to securing the homeland.

The federal government is launching a systematic effort to harness science and technology in support of homeland security.

I want to mention that the Potomac Institute is an excellent example of an independent group that is far ahead in opening the debate on these issues. I commend your efforts at convening innovative research programs that focus on key aspects of national security. You draw on a broad range of expertise from government agencies, the military, and the private sector. You put the insights of farsighted experts at the nation’s disposal.

This capacity to convene diverse groups of thinkers is an important tool. It enables our society to better understand the threats we face and the options we may need to exercise. In order to react effectively, we need wisdom from every quarter, and we need it now.

Perhaps it would be useful for me to speak broadly about the way we at NSF have been thinking about these issues, which will prepare the ground for a dialogue between us.

As you may know, NSF is the federal agency responsible for funding nonmedical research and education in all fields of science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. We set our sights on the frontiers of science and technology by investing in talented people and new ideas.

NSF support is provided to over 2,000 universities by merit review. Approximately 200,000 teachers and graduate students are involved in our programs nationwide.

Our 50-year history has taught us that while the path to discovery is seldom a straight line, fundamental research always serves society in practical, beneficial ways.

As Senator Pat Roberts said at last week’s Navigator Awards ceremony, “Not all seeds come up, but sooner or later you have a harvest.” His comment aptly describes the bounty we receive from our investments in fundamental research.

NSF-funded research helped create the Internet, magnetic resonance imaging, fiber optics, and much more. Our ongoing investments are launching the era of nanotechnology and agricultural biotech. They are expanding our knowledge of global warming, the genome, and the science of learning.

Much of NSF’s research also has national security implications. For example, structural engineering, computer security, microbial genetics, the ecology of infectious disease, and behavioral science are all connected to our 9/11 circumstances.

In peacetime, society looks to our scientists and engineers to provide knowledge, innovation, and new products that improve our lives and grow our economy. In the current climate, we are also expected to detect dangers, address security needs, and develop research as an antidote to terrorist threats.

We have been able to rapidly meet these challenges by drawing on the expertise of a vast pool of scientists and engineers who are always hard at work. Their research made it possible to bring cutting-edge technology to Ground Zero, much of it related to damage assessment and the search for survivors. Here are a few examples:

On the morning after the World Trade Center attack, NSF-funded researchers deployed shoebox-sized experimental robots designed for urban rescue operations.

Another team used an integrated digital data system – including Palm handheld computers, handheld GPS positioning receivers, and digital cameras -- to provide near real-time mapping of Ground Zero damage and to enhance safety conditions for rescue workers.

Other researchers used airborne laser swath mapping to create three-dimensional maps of lower Manhattan, including the buildings damaged on 9/11.

Yet another group recovered critical evidence from Ground Zero to help us understand exactly what brought the buildings down, including the contributions of impact and heat stresses.

In the weeks that followed 9/11, NSF continued to respond:

On September 28, 2001, NSF awarded eight quick response research grants to engineering and social science researchers to conduct post-disaster assessments of the terrorist attack sites. The data collected are being used to improve the structural integrity of the nation’s buildings, utilities, and other infrastructure.

And in mid-October, soon after an anthrax-inoculated letter arrived at Senator Daschle’s office, NSF marshaled the resources needed for rapid sequencing of the lethal anthrax genome. We also put the threat in perspective, reminding the public (and government officials) that anthrax is not contagious, that is, via person-to-person spread.

In The Art of War, the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu wrote that “All warfare is based on deception.” He also noted that one of the most effective strategies is to force your opponent to prepare for a variety of threats.

This is what our vulnerability to terrorism is doing to us: It is forcing us to spread our resources across a broad front.

We see this in our immediate responses to 9/11. We initially focused our counter-terrorism efforts on improving airport security and erecting barriers around government buildings.

After the anthrax incidents, our response focused on the postal system: new detection technology, employee training, and guidelines for handling suspicious packages.

Now we’ve entered a new phase of vigilance across a continental front that includes cyber-terrorism, bio-terrorism, and nuclear-terrorism. We must anticipate threats to our food and water supply as well as the menace of a suicide bomber or hijacker.

The President has proposed a Department of Homeland Security that is likely to restructure our government. His proposal formalizes the seriousness of the terrorist threat to our society and its likely longevity. The proposal will add counter-terrorism duties to the job descriptions of many federal workers.

Scientists and policy researchers everywhere must also take on this additional burden. We all have a contribution to make.

In the weeks and months ahead, NSF will remain committed to the long-term pursuit of fundamental research. This is good for science and good counter-terrorism policy. But we can do more to ensure that our country’s science policy moves in the direction of national necessity.

When we need to move quickly, we will expedite proposals for standard grants, supplement existing grants, or provide small grants for exploratory research. This responsiveness worked effectively in the wake of 9/11; it will continue to serve us well in the long-term.

Recent NSF grants focus on key areas that demand our immediate attention: cyber-security, detection and decontamination of biological and chemical warfare agents, and continuing social responses to September 11, including the ecology of infectious disease and emerging infectious diseases. NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) is a very important component of our National Science Foundation portfolio.

The Potomac Institute is making its own unique contributions. The important work of your National Security Health Policy Center comes to mind, with its emphasis on the detection and prevention of health threats, including biological terrorism.

Your International Center of Terrorism Studies is another invaluable asset, with its continuous monitoring of the trends that are shaping future terrorist threats, its service as a clearinghouse that makes reliable information available to different sectors of our society, and its emphasis on technology and counter-terrorism strategies.

One of the strengths of our nation is its dynamic knowledge base. But we have become a nation of specialists. Even in the best of times, narrow knowledge can become incorrect knowledge. When it comes to countering terrorism, incorrect knowledge is a limitation we cannot afford.

The capacity of the Potomac Institute to coordinate some of our country’s most innovative thinkers – to facilitate discussion of key science and technology issues – is a particularly valuable contribution to our counter-terrorism arsenal. We must never forget that, in addition to our robust effort to bring new technology to bear on the problem of terrorism, we must also outthink the terrorists.

A strong commitment to fundamental research in science and technology is the foundation for new knowledge and the source of technical solutions to terrorist threats. The processes of science, with their constant focus on the challenges ahead, remind us that anticipation and prevention often go hand in hand.

Circumstances have dictated that the fight against terrorism is our path to the future. Let’s make it our highest priority to strengthen a National alliance in this common cause.

Thank you.