The false choice of basic vs. applied research
A new call to abolish the concept of “applied research” comes from a surprising source: the founding dean of Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Before engineers get up in arms, though, they should know he wants to eliminate “basic research” as well. Venkatesh Narayanamurti, the Benjamin Peirce Research Professor of Technology and Public Policy and a board member for the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, stepped down as dean of SEAS in 2008, but he never stopped thinking about how to smooth the path that leads to discovery. And he has a harsh view of the traditional divide between basic and applied science, describing it as not only artificial, but costly and harmful to scientific advancement. The stakes are so high today — with global problems such as climate change demanding technological solutions — that we can’t afford a system that slows progress, Narayanamurti said....