“Without Measurement, There Is No Progress”

What is your overall view on what’s happening in the US?
 

I have never experienced anything like this in my professional career. The situation is extremely confusing – made worse by the uncertainty surrounding what’s actually happening versus what our administration wants to happen. This disconnect adds yet another layer of complexity, making it very difficult to predict outcomes.

I’m tempted to take the long view that in four years this will – hopefully – all be over. But the speed and extent of the attempted dismantling of government is worrisome. I just hope that we can regain the respect our country is losing across the rest of the world.

Have the recent (or anticipated) federal budget cuts affected your lab?
 

There haven’t been any direct effects – current or anticipated – on my lab thus far. Indirectly, I know that our university is trying to be conservative in their outlay of funds for things like new equipment, since they are not sure how much money would be needed to keep people at the university supported if certain lines of funding are ended or cut. Nevertheless, I think our university administration is taking a balanced approach, which, in my opinion, is the best course of action when faced with an uncertain (and potentially quite volatile) future.

I think we’ll learn much more once we see, later this year, the outcomes of federal funding requests that have been submitted. At the moment, all you can do is to try to ensure your proposed science avoids topics currently considered “taboo” by this administration.

How could they affect your lab in the long run?
 

Obviously, a major concern is the status of federal funding for research over the next four years. My laboratory has always had a mix of federal and private funding contracts – I feel this strategy is a good one to weather changes in governmental funding. In the past, when federal spending on research was deemphasized, this usually meant companies were more willing and able to spend money on research. In the current climate, I am worried that everything research-oriented – from federal to private support – may be hurt. Without proper funds, it becomes very difficult for us to continue to train the next generation of analytical scientists.

What do you perceive as the long-term consequences of these policy changes on analytical science in the US?
 

Eroded trust by foreign entities, which may not be so easy to regain.

How might analytical science globally be affected?
 

Over the past 20 years, I have enjoyed the visits of many foreign scientists and students from many countries to my lab. I have also enjoyed spending time abroad working with international colleagues and attending conferences to share science. In the wake of recent events, I am worried there will be less interest for researchers to visit the US, compounded by less support for those foreign researchers who do wish to come. I’m also worried that access to some foreign researchers will be limited for unfounded reasons, and that I’ll be viewed differently and welcomed less favorably the next time I travel abroad. All of these worries are not positive for promoting global collaboration in science.

If analytical science is affected, how might the world be affected?
 

Without analytical science, there is no means to develop new measurements. Without measurement, there is no way to assess new technologies. Simply put, a reduction in support for analytical science means a reduction in support for progress across all areas of science, technology, and medicine.

Is there any room for optimism or perhaps a silver lining somewhere?
 

Much of the rhetoric I have encountered from voices outside the US understand that these decisions to pursue certain policies are solely that of the US administration. They do not seem to be holding it against the American people at large, despite our role in bringing this administration into power. With this in mind, I don’t see my personal relationships with foreign colleagues eroding, only the mechanisms through which we might interact. Luckily, such mechanisms can always be restored if lost, and my hope is that personal relationships will not be damaged in the interim.