AAAS CEO Parikh Testifies on State of U.S. S&T Ecosystem before House Science, Space, and Technology Committee

AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh testified Feb. 5 before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the state of U.S. science and technology.

Parikh explained that while extraordinary science is happening every day, new approaches are needed to ensure the United States maintains a strong, competitive and resilient STEMM enterprise. He reinforced the importance of leading with humanity and respecting immigrants who contribute to the STEMM enterprise domestically, and he noted that recent actions have hurt the ecosystem and caused great uncertainty and anxiety. He urged policymakers not to dismantle the very strengths that keep the nation competitive and previewed three actions to ensure the United States has a proactive vision to lead on science and technology globally.

The following is a selection of quotes from Parikh's oral testimony:

"We must recognize the global competition and take it seriously. We must not demonize people or international collaboration in the process … We must ensure that our drive to compete does not alter our humanity. When we make America less welcoming to scientists who are immigrants or those who have been here for generations, we only hurt our own competitiveness and opportunity for prosperity."

"The announcement of an abrupt spending freeze on science and technology funding broke trust and hurt the S&T enterprise … Many scientists, particularly those early in their careers, live paycheck-to-paycheck … every time we stop and start, lose focus, break continuity across funding and intellectual property protections, we lose some of the next generation of science and technology talent and hurt America's competitiveness."

"Uncertainty, whether in the form of spending freezes, the threat of government shutdowns, or potentially canceling funding that has already been approved reverberates through the scientific community. Institutions must of course change - disruption is not a bad thing and should happen every so often - but we must be careful not to dismantle the very strengths that will keep us competitive long into the future."

"This pace of change is accelerating so rapidly and the tools and strategies that got us here are insufficient to get us to the next level. Transformational technologies are reshaping our way of life."

"We shouldn't do things that slow us down. And so we've got to recognize that this enterprise as a whole - from the federal investment to the workforce to the industry investment to tax and regulatory policy - it's all part of it. It's what differentiates us from other nations."

Key links:

• Watch Parikh's full oral testimony
• Read Parikh's written testimony
• Watch the full hearing