ISSUE: BUDGET
Fiscal Year 2014 Presidential Budget Request
Though it was delayed multiple times, the president’s budget request arrived in April. Overall the budget request was very friendly to science, with almost all accounts receiving increases as compared to either the FY12 appropriations or the FY13 sequestered appropriations (estimated). A chart detailing the FY14 presidential budget request has been posted in this issue.
President’s Budget Request: STEM Ed
The President’s request, if approved, would realign STEM-Ed programs. Overall there are 78 programs that would be cancelled or consolidated within another department. The NASA E/PO programs are included in the list of 78, along 30+ other NASA STEM-Ed programs. There are another 48 programs that would be internally consolidated. For instance, the Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES), Widening Implementation and Demonstration of Evidence-Based Reforms (WIDER), and the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) programs at NSF would be consolidated into a new program titled Catalyzing Advances in Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE).
The Department of Education would have responsibility for many of the new STEM-Ed initiatives. The Smithsonian would take over new programs focused on informal education and outreach.
For more information, view the Preparing a 21st Century Workforce document.
ISSUE: POPA
The proposed APS Statement on K-12 physics education was approved for member comment by POPA and the APS Executive Board. It is now posted on the APS website for review by membership, through June 30th, 2013. The statement will be drafted in final form with consideration of member input.
A template for study proposals can be found online, along with a suggestion box for future POPA studies, by visiting our suggestion portal.
ISSUE: MEDIA UPDATE
Roll Call newspaper published an op-ed by Michael S. Lubell, APS director of public affairs, on May 3, 2013, titled “Don’t let American Science Suffer From Federal Spending Cuts.” You can read the full column in the Roll Call.
The Hill newspaper’s Congress blog published a piece by Stamatis Vokos, professor of physics at Seattle Pacific University, on April 25, 2013, titled “Highly trained physical science teachers needed to educate students for high-tech economy.” You can read the full piece in The Hill.
James Kakalios, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota and author of The Physics of Superheroes, also published an op-ed on the Congress blog titled “Scientific Research? We built that!” You can read the op-ed in The Hill’s Congress blog.
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