House science chief unveils contentious vision for science
Science; April 24 2015
By Jeffrey Mervis and Adrian Cho
“Representative Lamar Smith (R–TX) has never hidden his desire to reshape federal research policy—often over the objections of much of the scientific community—since he became chair of the House of Representatives science committee 2 years ago. Last week, he introduced legislation that lays out those plans in unprecedented detail, and the reaction was predictable. Although academic leaders say that some parts of the new, 189-page bill are better than previous versions, they believe it would seriously damage the U.S. research enterprise. ”
A summary of a new proposal to limit and control research funding, this article outlines one man’s vision to rewrite the funding and distribution system of scientific research. As chair of the House of Representatives Science Committee, he stands in a potentially powerful position. These new proposals and ideas beg the questions, can a layman really fairly decide what research should and should not be funded? What responsibility does the government have over the application of new research and technologies? How important is our country’s standing in the global scientific and technological community?