John F. Kennedy & Science: 50 Years Remembered

I was born nearly 2 decades after Kennedy’s presidency and assassination. I do not have the vivid memories of the tumultuous 60’s like those of my father, colleagues and mentors. They remember that day in much the fashion that I remember the attacks on September 11, 2001. The media is blanketing this topic. I do not wish to do the same. My goal is to remember and commemorate the efforts President Kennedy put into the development of science and innovation.

Just as is found in science today, competition drove Kennedy’s two most prominent initiatives: Space & Energy.  We weren’t competing for grant money, or for the sake of discovery; it was about ‘the American Way’ & democratic superiority over communism. With global tensions palpable, JFK saw the opportunity afforded to us through scientific endeavors. In one of his last speeches, on October 22, 1963, he addressed the National Academy of Sciences, focusing on the synergy of science and government – about changing the national ideology of manufacturing and engineering into one of theoretical thought and discovery.

It was this new emphasis on the sciences that allowed me the opportunity to take up an education in ecological and evolutionary theory.

As we reflect the passing of a man 50 years ago today, let us each see the impact for which one person is capable; how one can shape the future. I leave you with two quotes:

From: Commencement Address at American University in Washington, D.C. (June 10, 1963).

“For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”  - John F. Kennedy

From: Address at the Anniversary Convocation of the National Academy of Sciences (October 22, 1663).

“In the years since man unlocked the power stored up within the atom, the world has made progress, halting, but effective, toward brining that power under human control. The challenge may be our salvation. As we begin to master the destructive potentialities of modern science, we move toward a new era in which science can fulfill its creative promise.”  - John F. Kennedy