Science in the U.S. is at a pivotal moment. With major federal agencies facing steep budget cuts, researchers across the country are grappling with shrinking resources, stalled projects, and growing uncertainty.
At the inaugural installment of the Joni Sue Lane Lecture Series on Women in Science and Technology, France Córdova, president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance and former director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), gave a keynote lecture on science, science funding, and the importance of fundamental research as well as her journey as a physicist. This lecture takes a closer look at where things stand — from funding trends to policy shifts — and what it all means for the future of research and innovation.
The Joni Sue Lane Lecture Series aims to recognize and amplify the vital contributions of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It's named in honor of Joni Lane, a talented systems programmer who worked at the Federal Aviation Agency and at Rice University in the early days of computing. The series, funded by the Lane Family Endowment, is a part of the Baker Institute Civic Scientist Lecture Series, which is sponsored by Virginia Clark with additional support from Benjamin and Winifer Cheng and Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Wiess School of Natural Sciences.
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Agenda
5:30 pm CDT — Reception
6:00 pm CDT — Welcome & Talk with Moderated Q&A
7:30 pm CDT — Adjourn
Participants
Welcome Remarks
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Ph.D.
Fellow in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute
Featured Speaker
France Córdova is president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance. An accomplished leader in science, engineering, and education, Córdova is an internationally recognized astrophysicist that has served across five presidential administrations.
She previously served as the 14th director of the National Science Foundation, where she oversaw significant growth in the agency’s budget and spearheaded major initiatives such as the 10 Big Ideas, the Convergence Accelerator, and NSF INCLUDES, a national effort to broaden participation in STEM from traditionally underrepresented groups. She also co-chaired White House science and technology committees spanning innovation, education, and Arctic research.
Córdova was the first woman to serve as president of Purdue University, where she led the university to record levels of research funding, reputational rankings, and student retention and graduation rates. She established a College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue, as well as a Global Research Policy Institute. She also served as chancellor of UC Riverside, laying the groundwork for California’s first new public medical school in over 40 years, and held leadership roles at UC Santa Barbara and Los Alamos National Lab.
Earlier in her career, she served as NASA’s chief scientist, becoming both the youngest person and the first woman to hold that position. She has published more than 150 scientific papers and received numerous honors, including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins from Chile, and honorary doctorates from Duke, Dartmouth, and Purdue.
Córdova holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology.
Speaker Introduction and Q&A Moderator
Neal Lane, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute
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