Toll on Science and Research Mounts as Government Shutdown Continues
One of the first sessions of the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference in Phoenix this weekend seemed like just the sort to attract plenty of government scientists: “Building Resilience to Extreme Political Weather: Advice for Unpredictable Times.”
But the conference, where more than 700 federal employees had been expected, will have few federal scientists in attendance. Many are barred from participating during the partial government shutdown, just one of the numerous consequences for the science community during the capital’s latest spending standoff.
“It’s a huge opportunity lost,” said Daniel A. Sobien, the president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization and a forecaster in the agency’s office near Tampa, Fla.
The shutdown, now in its third week, has emptied some laboratories across the country, forced scientists from the field, upended important scientific conferences, imperiled the flow of grant money and disrupted careful planning for future studies, some of which are time-sensitive.
“We’re not collecting data,” said Leland S. Stone, an area vice president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents many federal scientists. “And we’re not analyzing the data and we’re not able to make the advances that we’re paid to do.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/toll-on-science-and-research-mounts-as-government-shutdown-continues/ar-BBRPZfH?li=BBnbcA1
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