SPS members and Physicists:
I urge you to take just a minute to read the following information (from Professor Bruce Schumm and Arthur Bienenstock, the President of the American Physical Society). Your time is appreciated.
Karl Schmidt
President, SPS at UCSC
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Dear Physics Grads and Undergrads,
Recently, and very abruptly, the US physical science budget suffered a deep cut. Particularly hard-hit were particle physics and fusion research. This cut, due it is thought to the political tug-of-war between Congress and the President (and exacerbated by various well-known economic pressures) was unprecedented in its size and capriciousness. An extraordinary response is called for from the physics community.
This is not an abstraction to us here at UCSC. One of the particle physics projects that suffered a steep cut - the International Linear Collider - has been the source of a dozen top-notch senior theses. The list of current physics majors that will be impacted by this loss of funding is long, including Lori Stevens, Tyler Rice, Chris Meyer, Luke Kelley, Sean Crosby, both of the Horn brothers, and Chris Betancourt. Many others of you will be indirectly impacted as the US loses its former leadership position in physical science, and even becomes a less and less reliable partner in the ever-more- global world of physical science. This issue is, of course, even more pressing for graduate students than undergrads, but as you can see, we’re affected at all levels.
Thus, I urge each of you to consider following through on the attached request to send letters to our Congressional representatives. It is often not appreciated how deeply these sorts of short-sighted cuts affect US technical competence, and hearing from students can be even more helpful than hearing from faculty who can be viewed as having vested interests in science funding. It will take about 10 minutes of your time should you choose to follow through.
Best,
Bruce Schumm
———- Forwarded message ———-
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:42:34 UT
From: opa@aps.org
To: schumm@scipp.ucsc.edu
Subject: Please help rectify science damage in FY08 budget
From: Arthur Bienenstock, President, the American Physical Society
To: Members of the American Physical Society
Re: Federal Funding Alert: http://www.aps.org/policy/tools/alerts
I am writing to request that you contact your elected representatives and let them know that the 2008 federal budget deals a devastating blow to basic research. You can make this contact quickly and easily at:
http://www.aps.org/policy/tools/alerts
There, you will find pre-written messages to your Senators, Representatives and President Bush. You may send these letters as they are, modify them, or write your own. While individualizing your letter is not essential, please at least make minor edits to the subject line and the first line of the text of each email so that these emails are more individualized. (See webpage pointers below for further instruction.)
Congress wrapped up the Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) budget just before adjourning for the year. The budget, which wipes out $1 billion in increases approved last summer for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE Science) and the NIST laboratories, does irreparable damage to science and abandons the Innovation/Competitiveness initiatives of Congress and the Administration.
While DOE Science programs received a 2.5 percent increase overall (exclusive of earmarks), they will decline by about one percent after inflation. High-energy physics and fusion will feel the greatest pain. High energy physics will likely have to eliminate hundreds of jobs, halt work on both the NOvA, the next step in neutrino physics at FermiLab and partially furlough many remaining employees. The Omnibus bill for FY08 also stopped R&D on the International Linear Collider project, an international high- precision step beyond the Large Hadron Collider, and zeroed out the U.S. contribution to the international ITER project, designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. These actions are severely damaging to the U.S. standing in the international scientific community.
The NSF, with only a 1.2 percent increase for Research and Related Activities, will lose almost three percent in level of effort after inflation is taken into account. Moreover, with new facility projects coming online, their administrative costs will have to be paid out of the research accounts. As a result, university proposal funding rates will inevitably
fall.
The request in the attached letters is to restore that funding in an FY08 supplemental appropriations bill, and to support the FY09 budget at the levels authorized in the COMPETES act, efforts that the APS Washington Office are pursuing with both Congress and the Administration.
WEBPAGE POINTERS:
(1) While individualizing your letter is not essential, we ask that you make minor edits to the subject line and the first line of the text of each email.
(2) If you are a government employee, please do not use government resources to send a communication.
(3) Your browser will take you to a page where you will enter your name and address.
(4) After entering your address, click the “Edit/Send Email button.” A window with an individual email message to the four offices will appear. Click “Send Emails” to transmit the communication.
(5) Electronic submission is preferred.
(6) For further help, write to opa@aps.org
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Thank you.
