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Science Policy |
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Bringing the NSF Message to the Hill |
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In September 2007, APS President Hannah Carey
and Councilor James Hicks joined with scientists from other disciplines in
Washington, DC to discuss with Members of Congress the importance of the
National Science Foundation (NSF). The meetings were organized by the
Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), a group of scientific
societies and institutions that work together to advocate for increased NSF
funding. The annual event brought together more than 40 scientists from diverse disciplines including physics, ecology, mathematics, chemistry, microbiology and physiology. Participating scientists were grouped by state and went on a series of meetings with a society government affairs representatives. Participants also attended an orientation session the evening before the meetings to introduce themselves to their colleagues and familiarize themselves with the talking points for the meetings. Since Congress has proposed a generous increase in the NSF budget for the next fiscal year, the main purpose of the meetings was to introduce the scientists as constituents who rely on NSF funding to carry out their research, and thank the Members of Congress for their generous support of the NSF budget. Scientists visited more than 75 offices from 15 states to discuss the importance of NSF. As Congress prepares to finalize research budgets for next year, the hope is that these visits reinforced the critical importance of federal support for science and the NSF. If you are interested in participating in events like the CNSF Hill visits, get in touch with the APS Government Relations and Science Policy Office. http://www.the-aps.org/pa. |
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