As scientists, we must continue to remind the public of the importance of basic research. Research driven by the interest and curiosity of scientists extends the boundaries of what we know and what we can measure, and that often leads to completely unexpected discoveries. The scientific principles underlying many of the things we rely on in modern life—including cell phones, microwaves, and magnetic resonance imaging—were discovered in the pursuit of fundamental knowledge.
My favorite example is GPS, made possible by the atomic clock invented to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Despite a spectacular history of providing new technologies, long-term basic research is increasingly difficult for corporations, universities, and national laboratories to pursue because of limited science funding.
That's why announcements like the one made today by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation are such good news for science. This morning, the Moore Foundation introduced its new initiative, Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS), which will dedicate more than $90 million over the next five years to basic research in one subfield of condensed-matter physics. EPiQS will support efforts to investigate the unexpected and unexplored properties of quantum materials. I applaud the Moore Foundation for its support of that field, which has been the focus of some of my own research.
To read more, click here.