In an earlier post, we cited third-hand information suggesting that Barack Obama will be the first sitting president since John F. Kennedy to address the National Academy of Science’s annual meeting. It seemed credible enough at the time, given the sources, but it turns out that it was wrong twice over.
For a complete and detailed list, compiled (and composed) today by NAS, read on:
1. President Kennedy, Annual Meeting, April 25, 1961
President John F. Kennedy addressed the NAS twice during his presidency. He spoke at the 1961 Annual Meeting, the first annual meeting following his inauguration, in the Lecture Room. He spoke of the “intimate ties between science & government” as true when the Academy was created as now when the Country is on “the threshold of many frontiers” such as oceanography, space exploration, and urban realities that scientists and politicians must address together. It is a short and positive message of the necessity for support and understanding of the Academy by the Government and the public.
2. President Kennedy, NAS Centennial, October 22, 1963,
President Kennedy was the keynote speaker at the NAS Centennial at Constitution Hall. He reviewed the century since the founding as a recognition of the value of pure science and of the relationship between science and public policy. York Times coverage of his address emphasized his commitment to ‘make every effort’ to call upon expert review and “publish the reasons for large-scale non-defense scientific experiments before they are authorized,” presumably including space and weather experiments. He emphasized scientific responsibility to control the effects of experimentation upon the environment, and finally, international cooperation in science. The President added a call to his prepared speech for Congress to restore $250 million in cuts to the NSF budget.
3. Jimmy Carter, Annual Meeting, April 30, 1979
He used Einstein, whose statue was dedicated during the meeting, as a focal point for remarks about scientific and intellectual freedom, and that a strong national program of support for science & technology is a key to our future strength. He emphasized his commitment to basic research “the bedrock of our scientific and technological future” through increased federal funding and basic research program at agencies. He spoke of his energy plan and Energy Security Fund, a study of industrial innovation, and aiding the Third World in problem-solving and in building its own corps of scientists and decision-makers. He discussed the recent Three Mile Island events as a reminder of international responsibility for nuclear weapons, the ongoing SALT treaty, and the role the scientific community plays in educating the public on complex issues.
4. George H. W. Bush, Annual Meeting, April 23, 1990
President Bush used his address to outline his administration’s role in advancing science, first through integrating science & technology into the policy process via an Interagency Working Group, and by involving the President’s Science Advisor, Dr. Bromley, in those mechanisms and others such as the National Space Council. The President spoke of advisory bodies created to pull in private sector talent and to assess federal investment in R&D. He cited the January 1990 budget that included a record $71 billion for research and development. He emphasized his concerns for math and science education including the Education Summit and National Science Scholars program and called on industry and business to create new alliances for education. His second priority for the administration is basic research — “the historical wellspring of this National’s well-being,” and pointed out funding and program initiatives such as U.S. Global Change Research Program and doubling the NSF budget.