Since Donald Trump took office for a second presidential term, US science has suffered huge budget cuts, federal layoffs and restructurings at agencies, dismissals of key science advisory boards and a shift in grant-making decisions from scientists to political appointees. Lane, who led the National Science Foundation from 1993 to 1998, compared the state of science under the Trump Administration to a “natural disaster.”
“The storm comes through, it destroys as much as it possibly can on lots of good things, including science,” Lane said. “And then…the storm passes…and we start to rebuild.”
President Donald Trump has tabbed Jim O'Neill to lead the National Science Foundation, a move met with outcry from the research community as O'Neill has none of the traditional qualifications or extensive academic background that typical NSF heads have possessed. Science groups are clamoring for a public hearing on O'Neill's nomination and Lane, a former NSF director, believes O'Neill faces significant likelihood of failure if chosen to lead the organization.
President Donald Trump has tabbed James O'Neill to lead the National Science Foundation, but the U.S. science population is calling for a confirmation hearing to better assess O'Neill's ability to lead the $9 billion agency, as O'Neill lacks an advanced science degree and research experience. Former NSF director Neal Lane comments on the difficulties of preparing for a confirmation hearing, one that researchers have deemed necessary for the first time in more than 3 decades.
Some 1,500 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering on Monday denounced the White House’s dismissal of the National Science Board (NSB) longstanding expert board that oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF).
"NSF has become the model for other nations around the globe, including China, but the Trump administration has been destroying that edifice in a mere 18 months," Lane says.
NASA is making a push to rebuild in-house expertise, an initiative met with cautious support from Evans. Evans believes it would improve oversight and safety, but he questions whether budget uncertainty and recent workforce instability will undermine the agency’s ability to recruit and sustain the talent needed to make it work.