In a recent issue of The Park Record, there were profiles of two elderly people from Park City High School who planned to continue the majors of science in college. This is about the scientific program positively in high school, and I hope they succeed. They are likely to deal with certain challenges in the future, given the current hostility towards higher education in general and science in particular.
For about 80 years, since the end of the Second World War, there has been a collaboration effort involving government and scientific research institutions. This largely came thanks to the government’s support from the proposals initiated by the researchers, examined competitively and evaluated on the basis of scientific merit.
This arrangement has been very productive and beneficial, including economically, in many areas. For example, the Internet Foundation was born from this support.
There have recently been steep drastic cuts to support such programs, not on merit considerations but on capricious whims.
Building funding has been proposed for the future. This suddenly put an end to many projects, the research staff finding themselves unemployed and putting the career of the investigators in question.
A certain number of institutions have already reduced the admissions of graduate students, because if the conditions are not reversed, it is not clear that there will be resources for their research studies.
In addition to the potential to lose a cohort of future scientists, this also has an impact on undergraduate training, both because graduate students participate in undergraduate education and because it removes opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research.
Developments raise serious concerns about the future of the scientific business in this country. As proof of this, in a recent survey of 1,600 American researchers reported in nature, one of the first international scientific journals, 75% replied that they planned to leave the country to pursue opportunities elsewhere in the light of the turn of events. (Nature, April 10, 2025, p. 298)
David Live
Park City