Brad Schwartz, CEO, the Morgridge Institute for Research
Schwartz is Chief Executive Officer of the Morgridge Institute for Research, a private, nonprofit research institute dedicated to interdisciplinary biomedical research in partnership with UW-Madison. Dr. Schwartz is a physician-scientist whose research and clinical activities focus on hemostasis, and who has a deep commitment to the mission of public research universities. He is also a UW-Madison professor of Medicine and Biomolecular Chemistry, and his research focuses on the initiation and regulation of protease cascades, which govern a variety of essential physiological processes from blood clotting to mechanisms of cell death.At the heart of my thinking is a simple but powerful idea: scientific research operates within a social contract. Researchers are able to pursue discovery because society allows and supports it.
Public support takes several forms. The most visible is financial. Much of the research conducted at universities is funded by the federal government, reflecting a model first articulated after World War II by Vannevar Bush. But really, money is only one part.
A second form of support is equally important: trust.
Scientific discovery rarely follows a straight line. Experiments will fail, and hypotheses often evolve. Yet society has historically accepted that uncertainty as part of the process. We’re allowed to wander a bit. Because when you don’t know what the future holds, exploration becomes necessary.
The freedom to explore comes with obligations. We owe it to society to stay connected with them. Maintaining relations with society is needed to understand what benefit we’re bringing; discovery alone is not enough.
One of the most powerful ways we can achieve this is working directly with young people. Engaging students isn’t simply about education, but about sustaining the future of discovery. Science is fundamentally forward looking, and emerging students are the doorway to the future. Unlike experienced researchers, students are not constrained by decades of established thinking. Young minds are incredibly valuable when we’re trying to uncover years of research gaps and seemingly unsolvable problems.
“I remember feeling intimidated as a freshman. Walking into a chemistry building, I saw doors labeled simply “Research.” I thought, what happens behind those doors? And I wondered whether I would ever belong there. That feeling is common, especially for students from small schools. Programs like this help lower that barrier. They take the first step and realize it’s not impossible.”
Morgridge Summer Science Camp is one example of this philosophy in action. For a full week, participants from rural Wisconsin communities live in university dormitories, work in laboratories, and interact with working scientists. Hands-on experience builds a sense of possibility.
I believe that experience sparks “wonder.” For many rural students who’ve never visited a large university campus, stepping onto one is transformative. They’re walking paths they’ve never walked before and those experiences expand students’ sense of what their future could hold.
I remember feeling intimidated as a freshman. Walking into a chemistry building, I saw doors labeled simply “Research.” I thought, what happens behind those doors? And I wondered whether I would ever belong there. That feeling is common, especially for students from small schools. Programs like this help lower that barrier. They take the first step and realize it’s not impossible.
Beyond personal impact, these programs are strategically important for the country. Modern economies are increasingly driven by innovation. Over the past two decades, much of America’s economic growth has come from breakthroughs in science leading to entirely new sectors. If that pipeline slows, our research enterprise will follow.
Public research universities are among the most powerful institutions society has ever created. Maintaining them requires fresh minds, new ideas and abundant opportunities. The Morgridge Institute works to open the doors of opportunity for all emerging scientists.
For rural students who never imagined themselves in a laboratory, or even on a university campus, those doors can change everything. Sometimes, all it takes to open them is a single week of wonder.
Rural Roots, Research Futures
For 20 years, the Morgridge Summer Science Camp has opened the doors of a world-class research university to high school students from rural Wisconsin. Through interviews with students, teachers, and experts, we examine what makes the experience transformative for participants and for science itself.