Norman R. Augustine Chairman, Exec. Comm., Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Chairman, National Academies’ Philanthropy Council

Science, engineering, and medicine profoundly impact our society, our economy, and the quality of our lives. Recognizing just how important a role they have played often requires a look back in time.

For example, my mother, who lived to be 105 years old, was born in Colorado in 1893 and was 10 years old when the Wright Brothers first flew. From my own vantage point as an aerospace engineer in the 21st century, my mother’s recollections of life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries provide a powerful lens on the evolution and impact of science, engineering, and medicine.

She experienced the introduction of washing machines, automobiles, and airplanes; of telephones, radios, televisions, and computers; of vaccines, antibiotics, and MRI scans. During those 105 years, the moon and Mars became reachable, and a large part of the universe became accessible to our view. She knew people who had crossed the prairie in a covered wagon, and she met people who had walked on the moon.

Much of what we appreciate about our society and our quality of life has come to us through the achievements and vision of scientists, engineers, and health care professionals. And many of the current and emerging challenges our society and world face will be addressed by the science, engineering, and medical enterprises. Those challenges range from energy production to transportation, from health care to environmental cleanup, from national security to economic competitiveness

_____________ The National Academies have a long heritage as a source of knowledge and wisdom from which policymakers could seek guidance. _____________ .

But history suggests that many of the changes that will come to pass in the next 100 years are unfathomable to us now. Neither scientists, engineers, physicians, nor policymakers seem to have any particular skill at foretelling the future. We simply can’t project much of what lies beyond the horizon of time.

_____________ Many of the current and emerging challenges our society and world face will be addressed by the science, engineering, and medical enterprises. _____________ .

What we can do well is to observe, analyze, and interpret facts and assess the implications of those facts for public policy. And I believe that, when it comes to science, technology, and medicine, the preeminent scientists, engineers, and health care professionals of the National Academies collectively conduct those activities better than any other group. Unarguably, their work has been held in high regard. Studies conducted by the Academies are prized for their intellectual rigor, their objective and nonpartisan processes, and their authoritative conclusions.

This level of respect is due, in part, to the Academies’ long heritage as a source of knowledge and wisdom from which policymakers could seek guidance. It derives as well from the distinguished nature of the people associated with the National Academies; for example, at the time I write this:

At any given time, approximately 4,000 of the nation’s most talented and accomplished scientists, engineers, health care professionals, researchers, academicians, business leaders, and policymakers are working on National Academies’ studies and projects -- addressing the nation’s most complex and pressing issues.

In many respects, the National Academies’ accumulated wisdom and experience are a national treasure. The Academies are a unique and special resource that cannot be duplicated and -- now nearly 140 years after their establishment -- could not be created anew.

_____________ We must empower the Academies to continue to advise our society on the choices and opportunities that science, technology, and medicine present us. _____________ .

Therefore, it is essential that we enable the Academies to continue working toward their full potential; that we empower them to continue advising our society on the choices and opportunities that science, technology, and medicine present us; and that we provide them with the resources necessary to guide the productive growth of science, engineering, and medicine as we enter this new century.

The concept of philanthropy runs deeps in American culture. So too does the idea of progress, of steady, measurable improvement in our society, economy, and overall quality of life. Thus, the Campaign for the National Academies is notable in its ability to unite those two seminal ideas: seeking philanthropic support for the mission of catalyzing, guiding, and evaluating the progress of society generally and of the scientific, engineering, and medical enterprises specifically.

To this end, the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine unite as the National Academies and ask for your support.

I hope that we can count on you.

___________________W h y . A . C a m p a i g n ?___________________

The Need for a Campaign
A Letter from the Presidents
Thoughts from Norm Augustine
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