I have lived in nearly every corner of America. Throughout, I have seen many embodiments of what I think most would call an “American Spirit.” Freedom, equality, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity, just to name a few. One aspect of the American Spirit that profoundly impacted me early on is our spirit of scientific discovery. We are explorers and innovators, or at least celebrate those among us to pursue the unknown.
This American scientific spirit has yielded immense tangible benefits. Therapeutics developed to treat disease, technologies to help solve crimes, advances in agriculture that help feed more for less, devices that allow us navigate the world, and information systems and models that forecast the weather. Perhaps equally important, this spirit has yielded intangible benefits; the incomprehensible wonder one gets from knowing we are a speck in the universe and yet composed of tiny specks called atoms.
Many of the key discoveries to these ends were made at American institutions of higher learning, by American-educated people. Some were born to this country, others brought their talent from lands far and away, seeking a home in a place that celebrates their shared spirit.
The actions of the Trump administration are degrading the American scientific spirit, disproportionately affecting the next generation. Bright young potential scientists and engineers are seeing science as a risky career choice, susceptible to political whims. This has to stop. We need to reclaim this Spirit. A good start would be defending our universities, and your voice can help.
