The Chilling of American Science
By CLAUDIA DREIFUS
Published: July 6, 2004
Dr. Robert C. Richardson knows a lot about liquid helium.
In the early 1970's, he and Dr. David M. Lee, both of Cornell, and Dr. Douglas D. Osheroff, now of Stanford and then a graduate student at Cornell, were experimenting with the isotope helium-3, chilling it to extremely cold temperatures, and examining its various properties. Through their investigations, they discovered a new state of matter and helped to revolutionize modern physics. In 1996, they received the Nobel Prize for this work.
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Since then, Dr. Richardson, now 66 and a professor at Cornell, has used the prestige of his Nobel to campaign for improved science education. And he lives his beliefs; he is one of the few science laureates teaching undergraduate classes.
He has also been chairman of a panel of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation. In May, the subcommittee issued its Science and Engineering Indicators Report, 2004. The report, which can be downloaded from www.nsf.gov, showed a decline in the number of young Americans seeking careers in science.
On a recent morning in New York, Dr. Richardson spoke about the subcommittee's work.
...
Some are refusing to come here for professional meetings. They complain of demeaning interviews at our consulates. They feel they are being asked, "Are you good enough to get into our country?" In the year 2000, we gave almost 300,000 temporary visas to people working and studying in scientific and technical areas; it's down to half that today.
Q. Don't concerns about terrorism require more caution at our borders?
A. Absolutely. But I'm afraid that there's more to this than a concern about potential terrorists. A lot of those encountering visa problems don't hail from countries on the terrorist watch list. They often come from places people are worried about as potential economic competitors - China, India.
One can't help but think that some of the post-9/11 restrictions are not motivated by security concerns, but by a misguided, almost 19th-century protectionism on intellectual property. There are policy makers who believe, "We've got to keep all these foreigners from stealing all our secrets and beating the pants off us." So now, these scientists, particularly those from Asia, are looking for opportunities in Australia and Europe. "
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