Editor’s note: This is part of a series of virtual visits with NCSA thought leaders on current topics impacting the field of high-performance computing.
U.S. Research Ecosystem is One of Our Greatest Strengths
By Bill Gropp, NCSA Director
There’s no denying that these are complicated times in research computing and the larger research communities. All of the changes and new directives impacting the work of researchers across the country are undoubtedly leading to a lot of concern that this amazing innovation ecosystem the United States has cultivated will be harmed.
That ecosystem – especially computing – is envied the world over, but its future is uncertain. There have been warning signs in recent years. High-performance computing infrastructure and the overall budget of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) have experienced slow, minimal growth compared to other federal funding initiatives and investments other countries have been making to support their research establishments.
Many students and professionals want to come to the U.S. for training, not just because of the technical strengths of the training but also because we have this innovative ecosystem that is unmatched. And it’s still viewed as an unparalleled system even though the investment in some of the infrastructure has been lower than in other countries.
The potential harm to that ecosystem is why these actions are so unsettling. We know that research helps uncover new ideas and new directions that benefit society, but it can be years before the results of those insights manifest themselves into economic or tangible outcomes. Many research domains require a lot of exploratory work. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t. Nevertheless, the work is worthwhile regardless of its outcome.
A diagram from a 2012 report published by the National Academies Computer Science and Telecommunications Board visually illustrates with tire tracks how government-funded academic research can lead to the development of technological advancements over a long period of time. In traveling the globe and connecting with other researchers, the main thing I’ve noticed is the recognition of the need to invest and to provide opportunities both for basic research but also for translational research that takes those ideas and carries them to something that’ll have a real impact on people’s lives. Research universities are a large part of that innovation ecosystem that has driven so many of the advances we see today.
The staffing cuts at NSF will have a significant effect on the way the ecosystem operates. The inevitable result of cutting those positions is going to be to slow down the process. It will mean less spending but also less support. It will mean less research that creates fewer academic and technological revolutions. It will mean that our research enterprise will be less nimble, move more slowly and be less effective. Because these things already take a long time to incubate from research proposals to having significance in our day-to-day lives, that harm will take some time to become apparent – at which point it will be too late to fix quickly, and a lot of opportunities will be lost.
It’s truly unfortunate the message being sent is that the people who are working hard at places like NSF are not valued. That’s going to hurt everyone because they’re working for all Americans. They’re proud of what they’ve accomplished in helping support this research computing revolution. Government pay scales are not competitive with private industry. These folks are doing this work because they feel pride in what they’re doing for their local, national and global communities. Actions such as this will make it extremely hard to attract highly qualified leaders to work in our research ecosystem.
A commitment to learning and the pursuit of knowledge is essential for any society. If we had stopped chasing our goals, we wouldn’t have invented the polio vaccine, landed on the moon, or – NCSA’s claim to fame – created the first successful graphical web browser, Mosaic. Not only did these accomplishments have a profound impact on the lives of millions at the time, they changed the course of human history forever. With our changing climate, emerging threats to public health and countless other challenges the world is facing, we should be strengthening our robust, innovative ecosystem, not harming it.