Congress must protect our nation's sciences

Nov. 11, 2011

There are plenty of ideas being tossed around regarding the congressional supercommittee's goal to cut the deficit as required under the Budget Control Act. Some tout the benefits of cutting programs while others maintain that raising taxes is the way to go.

As U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and the other committee members strive toward their goal, they should maintain robust federal funding for scientific research, which has contributed to more than half of the nation's economic growth since World War II. MRI, the laser, the Internet and the iPad are a few examples of the myriad technologies that began in a laboratory years ago.

Therefore, we should all be worried about the impact on the nation's scientific enterprise as the committee prepares to release recommendations to slash $1.5 trillion from the deficit.

I understand that the country has serious budget problems and that America must tighten its financial belt. But we should not torch our seed corn -- early-stage scientific research -- that has led to amazing technologies that have transformed the lives of all Americans.

But our science-driven economic prosperity depends on having people do the science.

I grew up near Chillicothe. To pursue my dream of being a scientist, I moved to Columbus, where I studied physics at Ohio State. After earning my bachelor's, the best opportunities required moving again. Now, I'm in New York, attending Cornell for a Ph.D in applied physics, where I'm researching nano-technology and self-assembly.

My work is funded by a federal fellowship from the National Science Foundation and a grant from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

This winter, my NSF funding will dry up. But KAUST is offering financial incentives and career advancement abroad. When I finish my program, will I have to move again? What about other science students facing the same situation?

The state of funding for science is an issue that resonates with many of my colleagues on campus. I am concerned about what will happen next year if the looming budget cuts target scientific research.

Decreased funding to the NSF and U.S. Department of Energy could force young scientists to search for research positions outside of the United States.

If students take advantage of these opportunities, I wonder what will happen to our nation's scientific leadership. The amazing scientific breakthroughs we've enjoyed won't continue if young scientists travel abroad to start their labs because of the uncertainty of science funding at home.

If we want to build a better America, we should protect the federal funding of science that has yielded tremendous economic dividends for this great nation.

Mergo, a Chillicothe High School graduate, is now a graduate research assistant at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., in applied and engineering physics.

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