Notes from the UEC

You spoke, and spoke loudly!

April 3, 2007

Dan Fischer
UEC Chair
NIST
dfischer@nist.gov

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Most of the research that is carried out at the National Synchrotron Light Source is non-commercial in nature, and the United States has decided that such basic and applied research is in the national interest and should be supported by the national government. Unfortunately, we encountered a situation in which Congress could not come to terms on a budget for the fiscal year that began in October 2006 (FY2007). Of course, the reasons for this are myriad, complex, and range far beyond considerations of science funding! Still, FY2007 was shaping up to be a grim year of continuing resolutions at the already strained FY2006 funding level for science and especially for Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, in spite of bipartisan expressions of support for the American Competitiveness Initiative.

In response to this gathering storm, a number of individuals and organizations in the scientific community rallied the troops to a degree that has not been seen before. The American Physical Society (APS) coordinated an effort (spanning all scientific disciplines) to speak up to Congress in support of science funding in general, and DOE Office of Science facilities in particular. In turn, the number of you who contacted your congressional representatives quintupled relative to similar appeals in the past, so that more than 2,000 scientists used the APS portal to express their support for DOE Office of Science facilities. Synchrotron radiation users represented about half of this total, with NSLS users making up 36 percent of the light source letter-writers.

Why am I telling you this? Because the responsiveness of you, the NSLS user community, played a big role in Congress’ ultimate decision to increase DOE Office of Science funding in FY2007! Your responses in support of DOE facilities in particular, and the NSLS specifically, were essential in bringing this about.

We are all passionate about doing science. If we can bring just a bit of that passion to communicating the excitement of learning how the natural world works (and how that knowledge ultimately yields practical dividends) to our political representatives, we can affect the future of these facilities. Remember that politics is a process of balancing competing interests, and in a country obsessed with “American Idol” we cannot count on non-scientists to represent our interests!

Federal funding for science is not decided once and forevermore; it is an annual process. Keep your voices loud!