This Education and Public Outreach Strategy represents an important new direction for the Office of Space Science. Excellence in science has been and continues to be the primary driver behind the space science program. On the basis of our accomplishments, space science has become an important part of the country's total scientific enterprise. The space science community has played a significant role in the education and training of scientists at the graduate and post-graduate levels. The students, current participants, and graduates from our program represent a substantial national scientific resource.
Now we are being asked by those who support our work to make broader contributions to national needs and to attaining the country's larger scientific and technical goals. In particular, we are being asked to help solve pressing problems in science, technology, and mathematics education and to inform the public of the critical role that science and technology play in all aspects of their lives. We are being asked to expand our role and to work with the education community to enhance and enrich precollege education. We are being asked to work with underrepresented groups and minority institutions to ensure that the strength of the nation's scientifically and technically trained workforce reflects the diversity of its population. We are being asked to communicate the results of our science in ways that the public can understand and appreciate.
We will respond to these new imperatives. Raising the level of science, technology, and mathematics education and scientific and technological literacy is critical to the future of the country and the future of science. Our contributions to these goals must now be regarded as a central element of what we do. With this Plan, we are taking the first steps towards assuming these new responsibilities. If we are to succeed, we must fully engage the enthusiasm, the energy, the dedication, and the creativity of the space science community.