http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=weeklyreport-000003052478President Obama made scientists happy in the first days of his administration, from his inaugural address promise of a new direction in policy (“we will restore science to its rightful place”) to his subsequent pledge of more money: doubling science funding over the next decade.
Life in the lab has been a little tenser lately, though. Scientists got a fright when the Senate moved to slash much of the science funding in the stimulus bill, before finally agreeing mostly to the higher numbers the House wanted. But that debate has raised questions about whether Obama can achieve the doubling he promised, especially if budget pressures start to outweigh the need to revive the economy. And some science groups say the new president has a ways to go to prove to them that he won’t interfere with the work of government scientists, as the Bush administration was accused of doing.
The jobs that science research provides are “right here and right now,” says Robert S. Boege, executive director of the Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America. In addition, Boege says, basic research provides exponentially greater benefits down the road, as research leads to new products. It may sound far-fetched, Boege admits, but he expects that without better funding talented American researchers will look overseas for jobs.
At the same time, groups that monitor the integrity of the science used in government policy-making say Obama will have to do more than secure a quick cash infusion before they are convinced he is serious. In order to be a true champion of science, they say, the president must ensure that researchers in his administration can speak out without fear of reprisal and that their work is not tampered with by political appointees.
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