HNDS-R: Connectivity, Inclusiveness, and the Permeability of Basic Science

University Of California - Merced, Merced CA

Investigators

Abstract

Scientific innovation is a key determinant of economic growth. The United States continues to compete to be a global leader in science and ensure the role of government in promoting scientific progress. Two current policy debates revolve around the connection between government investments and scientific innovation and economic growth: (1) missed opportunities due to categorical disparities and (2) the role of academic research in pushing the scientific frontier. By evaluating Arpanet, this project gets at the heart of these policy debates through the lens of connectivity. Arpanet, the precursor to the modern Internet, was launched in 1969 and for the first time provided computer connectivity (electronic mail and data sharing facilities) between scientists located in different cities. This research contributes to the current debate on inclusiveness in STEM by analyzing whether Arpanet helped to reduce the categorical gap in scientific productivity by making collaborations across different institutions more accessible. Second, the research informs the policy discussion on the social value of academic research in shaping corporate R&D thanks to the fact that Arpanet’s network spanned both universities and corporations. A first goal of the research is to investigate the structural reasons that explain differences in activity in STEM fields. The researchers explore whether exposure to Arpanet, by substantially expanding the pool of potential collaborators outside of one’s own scientific institution, enhanced novelty and productivity of female scientists compared to their male counterparts. The second goal of the project is to inform the current debate on how university-based socially valuable basic science shapes corporate innovation. The project measures the degree of cross-pollination between basic science undertaken at universities and applied science developed by corporate labs through Arpanet. Specifically, the researchers estimate patent production from corporate labs and citation rates from universities related to Arpanet. The user-friendly large-scale datasets on ARPA contracts between 1958 and 1980 will include information on both institutions and individuals and be matched with data from multiple sources including the archives of the Computer History Museum in California, and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Maryland. The project is co-funded by the Science of Science: Discovery, Communication, and Impact program; the Human Networks and Data Science program; and Science and Technology Studies program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.