Op-eds / Essays

"Without basic science, our best guess never gets any better, and 'innovation' is tinkering around the edges.  With the advance of basic science, society advances, too."

– L. Rafael Reif

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What Campuses Can Learn From Online Teaching
October 02, 2012
Science must be spared Washington's axe
February 25, 2013
The newest revolution in higher ed
March 03, 2013
Better, More Affordable Colleges Start Online
September 26, 2013
The innovation deficit
December 29, 2013
Creative disrupters are welcome
March 05, 2014
The benefits of digital technology
October 06, 2014
A better way to deliver innovation to the world
May 22, 2015
The dividends of investing in science
February 12, 2016
Letter to Congressional Committees about the Endowment
April 01, 2016
New MIT innovation hub takes on world’s biggest challenges
October 26, 2016
The Dividends of Funding Basic Science
December 05, 2016
Statement in support of the launch of Breakthrough Energy Ventures
December 12, 2016
How to maintain America’s edge
March 27, 2017
Trump should not repeal DACA
August 31, 2017
Transformative automation is coming. The impact is up to us.
November 10, 2017
Excerpts from President Reif's interview with GeekWire co-founder and editor Todd Bishop
February 21, 2018
China's Challenge Is America's Opportunity
August 08, 2018
Prepare Students for a Future of Artificial Intelligence
February 10, 2019
We lead three universities. It's time for drastic action.
March 17, 2020
Has the coronavirus finally taught us how to listen to science?
April 21, 2020
Is the 'endless frontier' at an end?
June 01, 2020
The Administration retreated on student visas, but the battle isn’t over
July 14, 2020
The U.S. must not stop investing in scientific research
July 23, 2020
To compete with China, America needs the Endless Frontier Act
September 08, 2020
The ‘super wicked problem’ of climate change is our Earthshot
April 19, 2021
How to Build Upon Vannevar Bush’s “Wild Garden” to Cultivate Solutions to Human Needs
July 14, 2021
The CHIPS are on the table -- but semis are only part of the story
August 24, 2022
The US can shape the future of semiconductors if Congress thinks ahead
December 21, 2022
Opinion The U.S. can make easy fixes to welcome immigrant students
June 23, 2023
Opinion: Congress Must Secure an American Manufacturing Base for Vital Tech
September 12, 2023
American Universities Shouldn’t Cut All Ties With China
September 13, 2023
Universities as Tools of Diplomacy
February 22, 2024
Strong universities make for a strong United States
August 26, 2024
Trump’s cuts threaten US lead in science and technology
February 17, 2025
America’s Coming Brain Drain: Trump’s War on Universities Could Kill U.S. Innovation
May 06, 2025
Leventhal & Reif: Saving the Bay State’s innovation economy
June 23, 2025
‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will raise the cost of college
June 27, 2025
How States Could Throw University Science a Lifeline
August 14, 2025
An impossible choice: How Trump’s ‘compact’ threatens our universities. Former MIT president: This isn’t a compact. It’s an ultimatum.
October 09, 2025