[NHCOLL-L:5259] FW: Natural Science Collections Alliance Washington Report

[Jean-Marc Gagnon]

On Behalf Of NSC Alliance



 

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NSC Alliance Washington Report 

 

NSC Alliance Washington Report, Volume 2, Issue 2, February 11, 2011

In this Issue:

*	House Republicans Propose to Slash Funding in 2011
*	New Series from NSC Alliance on the Importance of Scientific
Collections
*	Effort to Digitize National Archives Could Cost $1.4 Billion
*	Majority of American Students Not Proficient in Science
*	New Student Campaign for Science, Science Education Launched,
Act Now
*	Recent Articles on the Dwindling Supply of Taxonomists

________________________________

Policy News from NSC Alliance

Through the NSC Alliance partnership with the American Institute of
Biological Sciences, we are pleased to provide NSC Alliance members with
the following public policy update. If you have any questions or require
additional information regarding any of the following items, please
contact NSC Alliance director of public policy Dr. Robert Gropp at
202-628-1500 x 250 or at rgropp at aibs.org.

 

________________________________

 

House Republicans Propose to Slash Funding in 2011

The new majority in the House of Representatives is moving forward with
plans to reduce federal spending for the remainder of fiscal year (FY)
2011, which began on 1 October 2010. Science and almost all other
non-security budgets have been targeted for cuts.

On 9 February, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) proposed
a reduction of $74 billion, relative to the President's FY 2011 budget
request, from an upcoming Continuing Resolution that would fund the
government for the remaining seven months of FY 2011. That proposal
would target 70 government agencies and programs for spending cuts,
including:

*	National Science Foundation: -$139 million
*	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: -$336 million
*	United States Geological Survey: -$27 million
*	Fish and Wildlife Service: -$72 million
*	National Park Service: -$51 million
*	Smithsonian Institution: -$7.3 million
*	Environmental Protection Agency: -$1.6 billion
*	National Institutes of Health: -$1 billion
*	Agriculture Research: -$246 million
*	Forest Service: -$38 million
*	Department of Energy, Office of Science: -$1.1 billion

After fierce criticism from conservative lawmakers, Rogers announced on
10 February that he would include additional reductions in the
Continuing Resolution (CR) relative to the President's FY 2011 budget.
Many Republican Representatives campaigned on a promise of reducing
spending in FY 2011 by at least $100 billion.

"After meeting with my subcommittee Chairs, we have determined that the
CR can and will reach a total of $100 billion in cuts compared to the
President's request immediately - fully meeting the goal outlined in the
Republican 'Pledge to America' in one fell swoop," said Rogers in a
statement. "Our intent is to make deep but manageable cuts in nearly
every area of government, leaving no stone unturned and allowing no
agency or program to be held sacred. I have instructed my committee to
include these deeper cuts, and we are continuing to work to complete
this critical legislation."

These additional reductions may make it even more difficult for the
GOP-led House to eventually reach an agreement with the Democratic
Senate. The clock is ticking for Congress to act, as the current
spending bill for FY 2011 ends on 4 March.

New Series from NSC Alliance on the Importance of Scientific Collections

A new series of special reports from the NSC Alliance will provide an
in-depth look at scientific collections and how scientists and others
are utilizing them for research and to inform solutions to complicated
problems. The first two reports in the series were created in
partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). One report,
"Museum Specimens in the Service of Science: USGS and Smithsonian
Partner to Advance Science" features USGS scientists who work at the
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The USGS Biological
Survey Unit has stored its specimens at the museum since 1889. The
second report, "Bees Are Not Optional: To Know How Bees Fare, You Must
Know Who They Are" focuses on an effort led by the USGS to create an
online identification guide for North American bees.

NSC Alliance members who have suggestions for topics of other reports
should contact Robert Gropp at rgropp at aibs.org.

To download the reports, visit http://nscalliance.org/?p=360
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78a
f&id=cfeb86c530&e=bcde813dc2> .

Effort to Digitize National Archives Could Cost $1.4 Billion

The costs of a project by the federal government to develop a digital
system for archiving its records could go as much as 41 percent over
budget, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The
effort to digitize the documents preserved at the National Archives and
to provide the public with online access to them has fallen behind
schedule and is projected to run over budget. GAO blames the agency's
weak oversight and planning of the project. The Archives "has not been
positioned to identify potential cost and schedule problems early and
thus has not been able to take timely actions to correct problems and
avoid program schedule delays and cost increases," the GAO wrote in a
recent report.

Since the contract for design of the electronic archives system was
awarded to Lockhead Martin six years ago, the project has repeatedly
come under fire from government watchdogs. Last year, the Office of
Management and Budget identified it as one of the most troubled
information technology investments in the federal government. As a
result of that assessment, the National Archives was ordered to reduce
the scope of the project. Now, the public will only be able to search
the subject lines of documents, rather than the full text as was
originally planned. The online archives are scheduled to be launched in
the fall of 2011.

Majority of American Students Not Proficient in Science

According to the results of the latest version of The Nation's Report
Card, 66 percent of fourth graders, 70 percent of eighth graders, and 79
percent of twelfth graders did not score at the 'proficient' level or
higher on the 2009 science assessment. Even more troubling is the high
proportion of students who failed to achieve a 'basic' understanding of
scientific concepts (28 percent of fourth graders, 37 percent of eighth
graders, and 40 percent of 12 graders). Less than 2 percent of students
in each of the grades achieved an 'advanced' score.

The test results also highlight an achievement gap between male and
female students, and among students of different races. Boys scored
significantly higher for all three grades. In general, white students
scored higher than all other ethnicities, except for grade 12, where
white and Asian/Pacific Islander students scored equally well.
Additionally, the average score for northern states tended to be higher
than the national average, whereas the average score for southern states
tended to be lower than the national average. New Hampshire and Montana
topped the state rankings; Mississippi ranked last.

The assessment is administered by the National Center for Education
Statistics, a part of the Department of Education. The test measures
students' knowledge and abilities in physical, life, earth, and space
sciences. Students' scores are classified into three groups: basic,
proficient, and advanced. Because of changes to the 2009 test, the most
recent results cannot be compared with previous assessments.

To read the report, visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/science_2009/
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78af
&id=8a228993ab&e=bcde813dc2> .

New Student Campaign for Science, Science Education Launched, Act Now

Over the past few weeks, student members of the Botanical Society of
America have worked with the AIBS Public Policy Office to craft an open
letter explaining to lawmakers why continued investments in scientific
research and training programs are essential to their future career
development. This grassroots effort is now becoming a national campaign.
As part of this effort, AIBS has created a webpage that allows
undergraduate and graduate students to sign an open letter to lawmakers.

The letter encourages "Congress and the President to make sustained
investments in the nation's scientific research, education, and training
programs. The extramural, competitive, peer-reviewed grant programs
administered by federal agencies are critical to our nation's scientific
enterprise and future."

If you are a student who is pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral
degree in a scientific field, please take action. The letter and sign-on
page are available at
http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/science_students_letter.html
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78af
&id=c181b08ba2&e=bcde813dc2> .

Recent Articles on the Dwindling Supply of Taxonomists

Two articles published this month highlight the lack of taxonomists
worldwide. The January 2011 issue of the journal BioScience includes an
article entitled "Recovery Plan for the Endangered Taxonomy Profession."
The article, which appears in the journal's Professional Biologist
column, proposes emphasizing the training of non-professional
taxonomists, including parataxonomists, amateurs, and youths, to reverse
the declining trend in professionals entering the field. The article is
available with a subscription at
http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1525/bio.2011.61.1.11
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78a
f&id=c3baa76ddb&e=bcde813dc2> .

On 19 January, Wired.com published an article entitled "The Mass
Extinction of Scientists Who Study Species" that takes a look at the
impact of the declining number of professional taxonomists. This loss of
expertise could have profound impacts on our collective scientific
knowledge: "The problem we face is a loss of knowledge not yet recorded
in the scientific literature. In our technological efforts to
concentrate our biodiversity knowledge, we may be rendering a field and
body of knowledge obsolete. And in the process, we may be undermining
our own efforts to protect biodiversity." The article can be read for
free at
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/extinction-of-taxonomists/
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78af
&id=baa0299397&e=bcde813dc2> .

 

________________________________

 

The Natural Science Collections Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based
nonprofit association that serves as an advocate for natural science
collections, the institutions that preserve them, and the research and
education that extend from them for the benefit of science, society, and
stewardship of the environment. NSC Alliance members are part of an
international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums,
universities, and other institutions that house natural science
collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and
informal science education, and outreach activities. Website:
www.NSCAlliance.org
<http://aibs.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=a2886d199362c2554974f78a
f&id=5ee18ef9a9&e=bcde813dc2> .

Note: You are receiving a copy of this electronic report as part of your
membership in the NSC Alliance. Contact the Alliance office with any
email address or member representative name changes send an email to
dbosnjak at aibs.org.

 

 
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