For much for the twentieth century, America was a powerhouse of innovation, with robust federal funding of basic research leading to scientific breakthroughs ranging from the Internet to the Human Genome Project. Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute and the co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under Barack Obama, believes the country’s status as a global hub of invention and discovery is under threat because of shifting funding priorities. Dr. Lander joins Dr. Maria Zuber, MIT Vice President for Research and the E. A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, to discuss the issues entangled in the future of federal basic research funding. MIT Communications Forum director Seth Mnookin will moderate.

Organized by MIT Communications Forum. Radius is a co-sponsor of this program.