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- Mar 16, 2010
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US shutdown means one sad tale after another for scientists
3 minutes ago by Alexis Webb, The Conversation
Probably tens of billions of dollars of research is on the line. Our leadership within science is at risk....
Not only do you bastards threaten our dollar, economy but also scientific edge.
3 minutes ago by Alexis Webb, The Conversation
Read more at: US shutdown means one sad tale after another for scientistsAs a researcher funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), since October 1, I've known that I will be not be receiving my monthly fellowship. This has meant that my work, investigating genes' role in vertebrate development, has been put on hold.
Like many other scientists faced with the US government shutdown, I was not told how to prepare for this, or if any contingency plans would be offered. Because of furloughs, officials at the NSF are unreachable for help. National parks, museums and research institutes are all shut, with scientists and staff sent home. This means suspension of many critical aspects of research.
Now I have to continue my work without financial support, living and working in London with no salary until funding is restored. Because I'm in the UK, my host laboratory does not rely on US grant money to operate, and I continue to have access to equipment and supplies. Other researchers have not been as lucky: 73% of employees at the National Insitutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda are unable to remain at the bench during the shutdown, stalling advances in biomedical research. The minimal staff allowed to stay are able to keep crucial materials like cell lines alive, but worries linger for what will happen when the limited supplies run out.
As the budget impasse enters its third week, the list of programs and facilities affected is growing. Researchers in health sciences worldwide have probably noticed the effects on critical tools such as PubMed, an online database of more than 23 million journal articles, currently being operated with minimal staff. Geologists and meteorologists must make do with limited resources, as only systems with a direct impact on health and safety remain accessible. If the shutdown isn't dealt with before October 18, astronomers will be unable to use telescopes at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona to scan the skies.
Researchers submitting grants for funding find themselves in a holding pattern, uploading their proposals without acknowledgement. Alec Davidson, associate professor of neurobiology at Morehouse School of Medicine said, he is "not sure what will happen with the October 16 deadline for the R21 grant (a smaller, shorter-term grant than the standard R01)" and has received "no response from program officers" at the NIH.
Probably tens of billions of dollars of research is on the line. Our leadership within science is at risk....
Not only do you bastards threaten our dollar, economy but also scientific edge.