Dr. Bethany Johns, John Bahcall Public Policy Fellow at the American Astronomical Society, will present "Austerity In the Age of Innovation" on Thursday, October 13th at Noon in Tome 115. Free pizza! Everyone welcome!
Abstract: Federal budget cuts, deficit spending, raising the debt ceiling, mandatory spending, fiscal responsibility, balancing the budget - these phrases are guiding much of the debate on Capitol Hill. How does this rhetoric affect the funding for the sciences?
The Administration believes that funding the sciences and education is the way to, "Out innovation, out educate, and out build," the rest of the world and has proposed a federal budget that supports this initiative. However, the debate in Congress is about how the federal deficit impacts our global economic competitiveness and how cuts in spending are necessary for a stable government. This debate has led to a late enactment of the fiscal year 2011 federal budget. There are points along the timeline when you can make an impact on the policy making process. The Decadal Surveys produced by the astrophysics, planetary science and heliophysics communities in the United States, impact policy by the community coming to a consensus and prioritizing the science it wants to accomplish with the decade.
Dr. Johns will speak on the current events on the fiscal year 2011 budget, the 2012 federal budget, and the current climate for science funding, and the impact you can make on the policy making process for astronomy and astrophysics.