Comment from Ezra Aylaian
Ezra AylaianOpposeAcademic
Summary: A graduate student at Duke University opposes the proposed regulation, arguing that scientific grants should be judged on merit by scientists rather than being subject to political review. The commenter emphasizes the importance of keeping the public science apparatus free from undue political influence.
I am a math graduate student at Duke University. I oppose political review of scientific grants. Scientists, not politicians, should be the arbiters of whether a scientific project has scientific merit. The public science apparatus of the US has lead to some of the most monumental improvements to society in history and continues to be a source of national pride, improvements to society, and mass education. It is important that scientific grants remain free from undue political influence.