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The many
descriptions of accomplishments resulting from BES-supported
basic research that are provided here represent outcomes of the broad range of studies supported in the BES program.
The large collection of these brief accounts portrays the discovery of new knowledge, the rapidity with which such new knowledge can often be incorporated into other scientific disciplines and into the commercial sector, and the great potential of
basic research for future impacts
on energy production and use.
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Discoveries |
The Office of Basic Energy Sciences has been at the
forefront of scientific discovery for several decades. BES staff and
colleagues identified 28 of the more important discoveries
supported by the program.
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Nobel Prizes |
Principal investigators funded by BES win dozens of major scientific prizes and awards annually, and many have been elected to fellowship in organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and other major scientific professional societies.
Paramount among the honors for BES-sponsored researchers were
eight Nobel Prizes since 1986.
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Vignettes |
Brief descriptions of
recent research highlights for FY 1997 through FY 2006 appear in the BES
sections of the President’s FY
1999 through FY 2008 Budget Requests to Congress, respectively.
These narratives provide compelling illustrations of the relationships between the results of fundamental research and
some practical applications that benefit society.
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Archives |
Archival compilations of BES
research highlights and activities (FY1980 - FY1998) |
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The National
Academy of Sciences' Committee on Science, Engineering,
and Public Policy
(COSEPUP) states
that "the useful outcomes of basic research cannot be measured
directly on an annual basis, because the usefulness of new
basic knowledge is inherently too unpredictable; so the
usefulness of basic research must be measured by historical
reviews based on a much longer timeframe." (Evaluating Federal
Research Programs: Research and the Government Performance and Results Act,
1999) |
