The American science funding catastrophe
The US National Science Foundation faces a funding freeze, causing confusion and threatening graduate students' livelihoods, basic research, and the future of scientific advancement, while an indefinite hiring freeze exacerbates the situation.
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The blog post discusses a significant funding freeze at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) amidst broader chaos in the federal government. Despite a supposed rescindment of the freeze by former President Trump, program directors at the NSF remain confused and paralyzed, awaiting clarification on conflicting directives. The ongoing freeze threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, potentially halting basic scientific research in the US. The author expresses concern that if the freeze continues for an extended period, it could lead to a loss of an entire generation of scientists, allowing other countries, particularly China, to advance in scientific fields. Additionally, there is an indefinite hiring freeze at the NSF and other federal agencies, which could further cripple their operations. The author criticizes the current administration's approach to science funding and urges those with more information about the situation to share it, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing science and the country over fear of political repercussions.
- The US National Science Foundation is experiencing a funding freeze, causing confusion among program directors.
- The freeze threatens the financial stability of many graduate students and postdocs, risking a halt in basic scientific research.
- An indefinite hiring freeze at the NSF could further weaken the agency's capabilities.
- The situation may lead to a loss of young scientists, allowing other countries to advance in scientific fields.
- The author calls for transparency and information sharing regarding the funding crisis.
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6 commentsI voted for Trump and I am loving what he has started to do.
Small government has been a Republican Party talking point for as long as I can remember, but noone has actually done it. Not even first term Trump.
This time it's clearly different, for the first time in my life we are taking gigantic hammers and crowbars to tear the government down to size. Yes, it will be painful for all of us (that includes me too) especially in the short-term, but it's something that I firmly believe needs to happen for an even better future and second term Trump is keeping his campaign promise.
We actually got a small glimpse of this during first term Trump when he essentially emptied the State Department and left it that way for the duration of his tenure. The world was surprisingly more peaceful than it ever was and the country did just fine diplomatically, despite loud cries to the contrary.
I want more of that. I want an empty State Department again. I want an empty bureaucracy. I want a small, effective, efficient government. And even better, these mandates come with a mandate for judging people on their merits alone. As a minority (Japanese-American) I am ecstatic that DEI has finally been viciously put out to pasture, I firmly believe that All Men Are Created Equal.
All of this is what I voted for, I am happy I can get to see it all happen for real. If you disagree, and obviously we do, that's unfortunate but we'll just have to agree to disagree.
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