My friend (even if I haven’t seen her in years) Dr. Amy Myrbo is fighting for the future of science by spreading the message Strong Science == Strong America, which is, to my mind, very true. From her organization’s web site:
Our main purpose is to spread the message that public funding of science is good for the US economy, quality of life, competitiveness, and future.
Where do the proceeds go?
Right now, we’re plowing everything back into printing more stickers and buttons.
And it’s certainly very true that publicly funded science has been a priority of the US Government for decades – regardless of the party in power. (I recall my father, a liberal hawk for his time, arguing very quietly – because he’d been ordered not to my by sister – with my sister’s father-in-law, a card carrying Republican who insisted the Republicans had been more generous with government funding of basic science than Democrats.) The ideology that free enterprise will cover basic science has failed over and over during the years, as the financial profits from basic science are a chancy business, unpredictable, “lumpy” – and it’s a rare business who can invest with a 20 – 40 year horizon. There’s simply too many shorter term opportunities available for the limited cash available. Then there’s the problem of markets that appear and disappear like flowers in a desert after a once-a-decade rainstorm.
I urge you to consider her plea.
UPDATE: Forgot they also have these links:
https://www.facebook.com/
http://z.umn.edu/strongscience
