Neal Lane, the director of the National Science
Foundation, has recently been writing a great deal
about the role of the scientist in educating the
public (Science, February 16 and 23, 1996). The
article, “Science and the American Dream:
Healthy or History?”, June 1996 Notices of the
AMS, continues this same train of thought. Dr.
Lane states, “I believe that the new leadership
needed from the research community is to carry
our understanding of science and its value into
the life of own communities through our teaching,
to be sure, but in many other ways as well.”
It is this phrase, “in many other ways”, that is
the real challenge to us in the research community,
and it is the launching pad for this article.
I would like for us to think about the role
that our investigations can play in motivating our
children and for causing more mathematics to
be included in their curricula.