This Is No Time to Sit on the Sidelines
Paleontological research in the United States is funded by the Division of Earth Sciences under the auspices of the Geosciences Directorate, which has been supporting our community’s efforts since its inception in 1950, exactly 230 days before I arrived on the planet. It’s not a century ago, but getting closer to that centennial mark as I write this. Over those years, I’ve been both a recipient of grant funds to support mine and my student’s research efforts, and have had the privilege to serve the agency in a few capacities. I have witnessed the times when funding was stable, but never at support levels near equivalent to other directorates. I can attest to those times when budgets were cut and, subsequently, restored to levels that were lower than previously allocated without any adjustment for the intervening inflation. I have endured the years when the program was over mortgaged and few funds were available for new awards. I have lived through years during which agency priorities were realigned, older programs phased out or terminated, and “transformative” research agendas advanced. I know the times when GEO/EAR was close to being placed on life support. All of those former times pale in contrast to the current attack on science, science funding, and the legitimacy of our discipline as one in the national interest. This is no time to sit on the sidelines.