AAS Informational Email 2006-04


Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 2:04 PM
To: 'aasmembers@aas.org'
Subject: AAS Informational Email 2006-04

AAS Informational Email 2006-04

Kevin B. Marvel, Deputy Executive Officer

Subject

AAS Issues Statement on Competitiveness Initiative

The AAS has issued a statement endorsing the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and the Senate PACE Acts. The statement is included in its entirety below. The ACI implements recommendations of the National Academy Report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" and sets out increased funding levels for NSF, NIST and DOE-Office of Science. The Senate Pace Acts go a bit further, calling for 10% increases in NASA basic science for each of the next five fiscal years.


AAS Statement on the Competitiveness Agenda


The American Astronomical Society (AAS) strongly supports the initiatives proposed by both the President and the U.S. Senate to increase U.S. economic competitiveness as recommended by the National Academies report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm."

The scientific excitement of exploring the Universe, near and far, is reflected in the abiding public interest in astronomy. Astronomy continues to be an inspiration for students and teachers, to provide an essential training ground for scientists and engineers, and to produce new wide-ranging technologies to stimulate the U.S. economy.

The President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and the Senate's Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) Acts (with more than 50
co-sponsors) both propose a doubling of federal funding for the physical sciences.  The AAS is particularly encouraged by the proposed increases for the National Science Foundation and the DOE Office of Science in FY 2007. These increases will invest in the skills and creativity that these agencies support and will ensure continued competitiveness of our science and engineering workforce in the globalized economy.
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Mailed to US members from aas.org 3 March 2006

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