This all seems to call for the leadership of American science organizations to press the case because of the importance of science financing to the US and to emphasize the damage that these cuts would cause. But if yesterday's National Academies event is something to judge, the leadership is not particularly interested.
Changed states
As the most important science organization of the country, and one that carries out many analyzes for the government, the national academies seem to be able to have its worries taken seriously by members of the congress. And given that the present and the future of science in the US is determined by policy choices, a meeting entitled The State of the Science seems to be the obvious place to tackle those worries.
If so, it was not clear to Marcia McNutt, the president of the NAS, who gave the presentation. She has made a number of oblique references to current problems and say that “we start with a radical new experiment in which circumstances promote science leadership, where the US is the treatment group and China as a control,” and acknowledged that “uncertainties about the science budgets for next year, coupled with Dollars of Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Researchers. “
But her primary focus was on the trends that worked in science financing and policy But exclusive The second Trump administration. McNutt suggested that this was necessary to look beyond the next four years. However, that ignores the obvious fact that American science will be fundamentally different if the Trump administration can follow its plans and policy; The trends that have been present over the past two decades will not be relevant.
She was also remarkably selective about her avoidance of discussing the priorities of the Trump administration. After they have noted that faculty surveys have suggested that they spend about 40 percent of their time dealing with legal requirements, she said twice that the anti-regulating attitude of the administration could be a net positive here (once it “an opportunity to help”). Nevertheless, she failed to note that many of the abandoned regulations represent a retreat from the science -driven policy.
