Marilou Schultz, "Replica of a Chip," 1994, wool, 47 x 57 inches. Collection of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Upcoming Events

Issues events connect our contributors with a dynamic community of interested readers, experts, and policymakers. These events emphasize the unique role Issues plays in raising the level of debate among all those who appreciate the critical contributions of science and technology. We also occasionally highlight events from our partnering institutions—the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University—and other events around the national capital that will be of interest to our audience.

November 20, 20253:00pm–4:00pm

Was Science’s Social Contract “Just a Myth”?

If the public funds science and gives it autonomy to govern itself, then benefits such as economic growth, innovation, and national security will follow “almost automatically.” This unwritten social contract was long thought to underpin policymakers’ relationship to the scientific enterprise, but the administration’s cuts to science funding and mass federal agency layoffs suggest the pact’s days are over. 
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