Minerva research initiative
Encyclopedia
The Minerva Research Initiative was announced in 2008 by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. Minerva looks to tap into the community of area specialists and other university researchers, particularly those who work on Islam
, Iraq
, China
, and related areas.
to fund academic research on five separate themes. One focus was on China, a second on terrorism, a third on Iraq, a fourth on Islam, and a fifth that is open. The goal was to create improved relations between the Department of Defense and the universities and to develop knowledge that the military can benefit from in the long term.
Minerva has proven controversial. Although many scholars support Minerva, a number of academic researchers have sounded public alarm about the prospect of Defense Department funding for research. The American Anthropological Association
sent a public letter suggesting that the funding be transferred to a different body, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF)
. Hugh Gusterson, a prominent anthropologist at George Mason University
, has written a series of articles in a variety of venues that have attracted significant attention. He worries that:
The Department of Defense funds Minerva directly and through the National Science Foundation..
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and related areas.
History
In 2008 the project was provided $50 million by the United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to fund academic research on five separate themes. One focus was on China, a second on terrorism, a third on Iraq, a fourth on Islam, and a fifth that is open. The goal was to create improved relations between the Department of Defense and the universities and to develop knowledge that the military can benefit from in the long term.
Minerva has proven controversial. Although many scholars support Minerva, a number of academic researchers have sounded public alarm about the prospect of Defense Department funding for research. The American Anthropological Association
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
sent a public letter suggesting that the funding be transferred to a different body, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF)
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
. Hugh Gusterson, a prominent anthropologist at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, has written a series of articles in a variety of venues that have attracted significant attention. He worries that:
"any attempt to centralize thinking about culture and terrorism under the PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
’s roof will inevitably produce an intellectually shrunken outcome....The Pentagon will have the false comfort of believing that it has harnessed the best and the brightest minds, when in fact it will have only received a very limited slice of what the ivory tower has to offer—academics who have no problem taking Pentagon funds. Social scientists call this “selection biasSelection biasSelection bias is a statistical bias in which there is an error in choosing the individuals or groups to take part in a scientific study. It is sometimes referred to as the selection effect. The term "selection bias" most often refers to the distortion of a statistical analysis, resulting from the...
,” and it can lead to dangerous analytical errors."
The Department of Defense funds Minerva directly and through the National Science Foundation..