Education

In recent years, four issues have converged on American education simultaneously. Artificial intelligence, career-connected learning, school choice, and state governance.

On June 2, the Science & Society team attended the third annual State of the Science Address delivered by National Academy of Sciences President, Marcia McNutt, in Washington, DC. She addressed the status of the U.S. Science research ecosystem and was followed by a panel discussion featuring legislators, researchers, philanthropists, and industry leaders. Her recommendations offer a useful lens for envisioning where science is headed and examining the work of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program’s integrated platform. In the sections that follow, we highlight how our work contributes to advancing many of the opportunities McNutt identified.

The world premiere of The Endless Frontier brought scientists, filmmakers, journalists, and audiences together to examine how discovery happens, why long-term research matters, and what is at risk for the American research enterprise. The film’s sold-out Washington and New York screenings marked the beginning of a broader national conversation about science and its role in public life.

What actually produces a leader? It’s a question I return to constantly in my work at the Center for Rising Generations (CRG), and one I carried with me at Youth250: Our Declaration, a conference marking the United States’ 250th anniversary, designed and led entirely by young people.

The Aspen Socrates Experience

Young people are already navigating a connected, complex, and global world, but the systems designed to prepare them haven’t kept pace.