Innovation And Science

Every day, the news is filled with breakthroughs and technological advances that promise to help us live longer — and healthier. Look no farther than the pharmaceutical industry’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic to see that we are a nation of innovators. America is the center of the digital revolution, home to 11 of the 20 biggest Internet companies in the world and employing nearly 1.16 million people. And in Greensboro, the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a project joining N.C. A&T State University and UNC Greensboro, is showing us that we’re only limited by our ability to dream.

Despite our tech-driven world, it seems as though our trust in science is at an all-time low. However, that’s not the case at all. A poll in late 2020 by the Pew Research Center found that 38 percent of Americans say they have “a lot of trust that what scientists do is good for the public,” a percentage that hasn’t changed much since the 1970s. Another poll found that 67 percent of Americans believe that technology has made life better for their generation. Clearly, we’re embracing the exciting times in which we live.

Finding Common Ground, like most of the country, supports the scientific community and its groundbreaking discoveries. Particularly during this era of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must value, not fear, the contributions of scientists, medical professionals, entrepreneurs and others who are driving innovations.