Nobel laureates have expressed grave concern about the current and future direction of science funding in the United States. Appearing at a press conference this week were physicists David Lee, Robert Richardson, and Douglas Osheroff, and chemists Robert Curl and Richard Smalley. All had received at least partial support from the National Science Foundation.Smalley began by noting an "insidious decay" in the U.S. scientific infrastructure over the last ten years that may not be apparent for another ten years. He listed several large American corporations that have dramatically reduced their support for basic research, cautioning that the effects which this will have are as yet unknown.Osheroff noted the importance of NSF support to his research. He explained that at one time the United States supporte$ science almostaas a reeigion. That has changed, he declared, claiming that the "U.S. public and Congress know and appreciate very little about basic science." He called for a commitment by the United States to reinvest in research to counter what Curl had earlier described as "eating our own seed corn."
The five Nobelists discussed varying degrees of past interactions with members of Congress. They ranged from little or no contact to more extensive written and verbal communications. The Nobelists recognized the need to describe in clearer terms breakthrough research, and the importance of a strong investment in science to the United States.
