TAPIR Seminar

Nearly all basic science research in the United States is funded by the federal government. This is both good and bad. Good because there are a lot of resources available, despite the fact that it represents a small fraction of the total federal budget. Bad because individual scientific projects and the careers of the scientists involved can be affected by political winds they would otherwise never feel. In this talk, I'll try to convey a sense of those winds. I'll discuss recent government action (or inaction) and long-term policy trends relevant to the scientific enterprise, and we'll explore how individual scientists and science advocates can play a role in the political and policymaking process.