D. Allan Bromley and Andrea Dupree on the Joint Statement on Scientific Research

At yesterday’s press conference on the Joint Statement on Scientific Research (see FYI #34), American Physical Society President D. Allan Bromley and American Astronomical Society President Andrea K. Dupree discussed the importance of this action taken by the leaders of 23 scientific and engineering organizations (which include AAPM, AGU, AIP, and OSA). Excerpts from their statements follow:

D. ALLAN BROMLEY, APS:

This is, indeed, an historic and unprecedented occasion. Particularly during my years in The Bush White House, I had hoped that it might be possible to bring the nation’s mathematicians, scientists and engineers together to make a more compelling case for the federal support of our research and development enterprise. But somehow we never even came close! Today, however, we have finally come together to announce the achievement of just such an extraordinary unification of professional organizations, representing more than a million engineers, mathematicians and scientists.

Two primary facts have been crucial to the forging of this unification. First is the general recognition that the fields of science have become so interdependent in recent years that advances in any one field are critically dependent upon breakthroughs in other fields--frequently in fields that might seem completely unrelated. In consequence, cuts in the support and level of activity in any one area are soon felt throughout the entire research enterprise. Research teams often take years to assemble and, once broken up, can rarely be put back together. The fabric of science is delicate and easily destroyed.

The twenty-three societies whose presidents are endorsing the Joint Statement that we have presented to you, to the Administration, and to Congress have also been drawn together out of our common concern that the federal investment in science has been shrinking for the last four years after decades of growth. Should this downward trend continue, the leadership that the United States has enjoyed in science and technology over the last half of the twentieth century will be in very real jeopardy--as will our ability to maintain the health and quality of life of our citizens, our ability to compete in an increasingly hostile global market place, and our ability to assure our national security.

“Beyond that, we should never give up our international leadership lightly. It is worth remembering that, in 1501, the Portuguese were the planet’s dominant seafarers and in that year discovered and claimed Brazil. Shortly, thereafter, however, internal budget pressures forced them to turn inward, to reduce their investment in exploration, and they rapidly dropped from the world scene. Precisely the same thing happened to the Chinese some 3000 years earlier.

We, of course, recognize the vital importance of bringing our federal budget under control and very much appreciate the efforts of many in Congress who have worked hard and under difficult constraints to maintain the vitality of our research and development enterprise.

Our nation, however, must strike a balance between the current fiscal pressures and the need to invest in the science and the education activities that undergird economic growth. Without such growth federal revenues will stop increasing and budget balancing will become almost impossible. It is the consensus of the leaders of the scientific and engineering societies represented here today that an increase in this federal investment in research in the range of 7 percent for Fiscal Year 1998 is not only appropriate, but essential. I would remind you that such an increase, if applied annually over a ten-year period, will produce the doubling of our national investment in research called for by Senator Phil Gramm and his senatorial colleagues in The National Research Investment Act of 1997.

“Science has enjoyed bipartisan support throughout the history of our nation--and history has proved this investment to be a sound one. There is growing recognition by the leaders of both political parties that the current downward trend in research investments must be reversed. Our unified presence here today is a measure of the seriousness with which the scientific community views the current situation and most particularly--current dwindling outyear budget projections.

I speak for all of us here today in pledging the continuing cooperation of all of our organizations in working with the leaders of both the Administration and Congress in maintaining our national commitment to research. I am convinced that by working together--across disciplines and in new ways--we can guarantee that the discoveries, developments--and complete surprises--both scientific and technological--of the next 50 years will make these of the past 50 pale by comparison. Or like the Portuguese, we can reduce our investments in our future and disappear from the frontiers. The stakes are high and the time is short.”

ANDRE K. DUPREE, AAS:

It is a pleasure to see so many of my colleagues from so many different disciplines gathered together in support of the country’s investment in research. The unity we see here this afternoon is symbolic of what is happening in all of science. Each of our disciplines is building upon the successes and new knowledge being developed by our colleagues in the other sciences. Never before have we advanced so rapidly. Never before have the sciences been so inextricably interdependent. And never before have we come together like this in a common cause.

The future can be even more exciting. It is a golden age for science. But even as we revel in new discoveries, and share them with the world, we feel a chill wind blowing.

Basic research budgets are shrinking, even cut drastically. In my field, astronomy, the operating budgets for the US National Astronomy Observatories have declined steadily in purchasing power. Telescopes addressing fundamental problems have been shuttered. Many astronomers and students will no longer observe from a mountaintop.

All Americans benefit from an investment in science. We need to remember that every aspect of our lives is surrounded by results from science: basic mathematics leads to stronger and safer airplanes; the techniques used to understand galactic structures can save women’s lives by improving detection of cancer; basic atomic physics is leading to better images to diagnose illness in young children; more sensitive astronomical detectors for X-rays produce better metal detectors in airports. These are only a few of the “practical” spinoffs of basic research, significant in an era when the Federal Government seeks an honest return on the taxpayer’s investment.

We cannot forget the training and the inspiration that come from basic science. Basic research generates discoveries that excite and intrigue and attract students. Results from basic research appear on lab benches or in classrooms to give cutting-edge training to the next generation of scientists.

Our nation’s technological progress, our standard of living and medical health, are due in large part to the government’s past commitment to research. Scaling back federal spending on scientific programs would jeopardize the future well being of the nation. President Clinton seeks to build a bridge to the 21st century. We are concerned about what’s on the other side.

“A compelling lesson of the 20th century is the overwhelming importance of science and technology in human culture. In the 21st century, countries that excel in science and technology will be the most successful in serving the needs of their populations and will dominate the world stage.

“Scientific research is an investment in the future. If we want an America with scientific and economic leadership, this is an investment we can’t pass up.”