Dear AAAS Member,

Science and technology play an integral role in meeting the challenges and opportunities of today.

To focus public attention on science-related issues, we are urging the US presidential candidates to give more prominence to the links between science and technology and national security, health care, climate change, education, and other concerns. In a recent commentary in The Philadelphia Inquirer, AAAS poses key questions to the presidential campaigns.

To promote federal funding of research and development, we work with a variety of coalitions of professional societies, educational institutions, and businesses to encourage ongoing contact between scientists and congressional decision makers. In preparation for the annual Congressional Visits Day in March, scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives were briefed at AAAS on the proposed FY 2009 budget.

To address the need for a broad, balanced portfolio of R&D investment, including basic and applied research, AAAS provided testimony to the US Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation in March. These policy and funding initiatives are fully explained in the News articles below.

The AAAS R&D Budget Program headed by Kei Koizumi continues to analyze and track US federal budget proposals. A new analysis shows that the administration is actually shifting federal investment from some critical programs that are central to innovation and US competitiveness, like health and space research (access the full report in News, below).

Our leadership in promoting sound science policy and increased R&D investment is a major component of the AAAS mission. We thank you for supporting this effort.

Sincerely,

Alan I. Leshner, CEO, AAAS