The Trump administration is now making extreme cuts to these funds under the guise of government efficiency. Eliminating this funding will prevent generations of scientists from performing research and making scientific breakthroughs. This is not making a more efficient government, this is a direct attack on the collective culture of discovery that developed cures for cancer, invented the internet, and drove the two of us to dedicate our lives to the pursuit of science.
I, Emily, am a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania–an institution that depends on government funding for its scientific and medical progress. I study the visual system from evolutionary and developmental perspectives. By better understanding the origins of our visual system, we provide insight into how and why visual diseases arise. Prevent Blindness Ohio states that over 2.5 million Ohioans are at risk of vision loss by 2030 without early detection and treatment. Cutting research programs aimed at preventing and treating diseases such as these will be physically devastating and will increase health costs across the country.
Part of Dayton’s proud history is the role it has played in manufacturing. Dayton maintains this legacy through a focus on advanced manufacturing and new materials. I, Noah, am a physicist. My work at Stanford University, along with the work of scientists and engineers across the country is to discover and learn about new materials. These range from my own work on superconductors, which will be used in faster computers and more efficient electricity, to polymers, which could be used to make stronger concrete and safer plastics.
As “basic research scientists”, we develop toolkits. An understanding of new materials, the visual system, and other research avenues which fall under “basic science” not only satisfies our curiosity, it lays the foundation for new ideas, companies, jobs, and more in cities like Dayton.
These toolkits can only be financed by public funds. Developing tools for curing visual diseases requires federal funding as it is expensive, high-risk, and incremental. Any cure developed today uses knowledge gained decades earlier which might not have had an obvious use at the time. This high-risk, high-reward, and long-term nature of basic science means that private companies are not incentivized to fund this type of work. Only the government can fill this gap.
If this is your first time thinking about how our country’s science is funded, consider what our country would look like without basic science. Without federal science funding, we could not effectively train young scientists to invent new technologies, create companies, and grow our local economy. We could no longer claim to be the global leader in scientific research. If you too are passionate about sustaining the industries upon which Dayton was built, we urge you to contact our state representatives to demand continued funding for scientific research. You can go to 5Calls.org, which will walk you through the whole process. Beyond this, talk to your friends, your family, and your coworkers about the ways American science has improved your life, and the prosperity we can build if we choose to support our inventive spirit, not extinguish it.
Emily Meyer is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Noah Meyer is a Physics PhD Candidate at Stanford University.