Research!America applauds Senator Tom Harkin for taking bold, decisive action to heal fissures in our nation’s research pipeline with legislation that will strengthen the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget over the next six years. The Accelerate Biomedical Research Act will establish a pathway for sustained growth in the NIH budget. That budget has remained virtually stagnant over the last decade, jeopardizing promising research to combat disease and deflating the aspirations of early career scientists. NIH-funded research fuels the development of lifesaving therapies and treatments, and creates opportunities for public-private partnerships to better understand Alzheimer’s,...
By rablogs on July 24, 2014
By rablogs on May 23, 2014
By Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (h.c.), Chief Executive Officer, American Association for Cancer Research Each year, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is pleased to support and highlight May as National Cancer Research Month. Throughout this special month, the AACR celebrates the accomplishments of the scientific community, advocates for funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and spotlights the need for continued improvements in patient care. There’s no doubt that tremendous progress has been made against cancer. People who have been diagnosed with cancer are living longer today than ever before. The five-year...
By rablogs on February 7, 2014
Guest blog post by the American Chemical Society. How has the Super Bowl’s economy-driving market impact grown thanks to scientific research? Can a value be placed on innovation? What is the economic impact of science and technology research? What is the return on investment of research and development? These questions were addressed at the January 30, 2014, American Chemical Society Science & the Congress briefing, Measuring Economic Growth: R&D Investments , held on Capitol Hill. Moderated by the National Academies’ Stephen Merrill, PhD, panelist Steve Landefeld, PhD, of the Bureau of Economic Analysis spoke on how R&D numbers are now included in gross domestic product...
By rablogs on November 5, 2013
Op-ed by Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley published in The Scientist. On winning hearts, minds, and votes for science In chartering the National Academy of Sciences 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln had the wisdom to establish a body that would provide scientific advice to the nation. Lincoln also had the wisdom to know that science doesn’t advance in a vacuum; he knew that there are political frames for science, which must serve’and be perceived to serve’the public’s interest. ’Public sentiment is everything,’ he said in 1858. ’Without it, nothing can succeed; with it, nothing can fail.’ Public opinion polls document strong support for scientific...
By rablogs on October 23, 2013
By Benjamin Caballero MS, PhD Candidate, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Although science is perceived to have a fundamental role in addressing major problems of modern society — from climate change to global healthcare — the persistent dwindling of its funding by government agencies is a global trend. It seems that the betterment of humankind is in jeopardy if this trend continues. But who is responsible for this? And more importantly, how can it be changed? During the ’Research Matters Communications Workshop for Early Career Scientists’ at the George Washington University (GW) on October 9 organized by Research!America, Elsevier...
By rablogs on October 23, 2013
By Benjamin Caballero MS, PhD Candidate, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Although science is perceived to have a fundamental role in addressing major problems of modern society — from climate change to global healthcare — the persistent dwindling of its funding by government agencies is a global trend. It seems that the betterment of humankind is in jeopardy if this trend continues. But who is responsible for this? And more importantly, how can it be changed? During the ’Research Matters Communications Workshop for Early Career Scientists’ at the George Washington University (GW) on October 9 organized by Research!America, Elsevier...
By rablogs on September 25, 2013
Excerpt of an article by Ariana Eunjung Cha, published in the The Washington Post . A year ago, Yuntao Wu was on a roll. The George Mason University researcher had just published a study hailed by the scientific press as ’groundbreaking’ that reveals why HIV targets only a specific kind of T-cell and, separately, found that a compound in soybeans seemed to have promise for inhibiting infection. These days, Wu ’ one of thousands of scientists who lost his grant in the wake of sequester cuts ’ says he spends much of his time hunched over a desk asking various people and organizations for money. The deep across-the-board cuts in government spending that took effect March 1 have sent...
By rablogs on September 25, 2013
Excerpt of an article by Ariana Eunjung Cha, published in the The Washington Post . A year ago, Yuntao Wu was on a roll. The George Mason University researcher had just published a study hailed by the scientific press as ’groundbreaking’ that reveals why HIV targets only a specific kind of T-cell and, separately, found that a compound in soybeans seemed to have promise for inhibiting infection. These days, Wu ’ one of thousands of scientists who lost his grant in the wake of sequester cuts ’ says he spends much of his time hunched over a desk asking various people and organizations for money. The deep across-the-board cuts in government spending that took effect March 1 have sent...
By rablogs on August 6, 2013
Current FOSEP leaders: Renee Agatsuma, Cyan James, Bish Paul, Abigail G. Schindler, PhD, Corey Snelson, PhD, Christopher Terai. (James and Schindler are the main authors) Founded by Melanie Roberts in 2004, the Seattle Forum on Science Ethics and Policy (FOSEP) brings distinguished speakers to campus, builds community science literacy, and trains future leaders in science policy and advocacy. While there can be a dearth of opportunities at the university level to educate scientists in policy, advocacy, and communication, FOSEP aims to explore the intersection of science and society and to educate its members to become future leaders and innovators. At FOSEP we provide unique leadership...
By rablogs on August 6, 2013
Current FOSEP leaders: Renee Agatsuma, Cyan James, Bish Paul, Abigail G. Schindler, PhD, Corey Snelson, PhD, Christopher Terai. (James and Schindler are the main authors) Founded by Melanie Roberts in 2004, the Seattle Forum on Science Ethics and Policy (FOSEP) brings distinguished speakers to campus, builds community science literacy, and trains future leaders in science policy and advocacy. While there can be a dearth of opportunities at the university level to educate scientists in policy, advocacy, and communication, FOSEP aims to explore the intersection of science and society and to educate its members to become future leaders and innovators. At FOSEP we provide unique leadership...