|
Message from the President
Elections Create New Opportunities for Increased Biomedical Research Advocacy
The recent mid-term national election results reveal that the mood of voters points in the direction of change. Democrats regained control of the Senate by 51-49 and of the House by a margin of 233-202.
Our political leaders are now talking about coming together in a bipartisan fashion on issues of importance to all Americans. This provides the science community with an invaluable opportunity to strengthen support for biomedical research across party and factional lines. Research!America polls indicate that 6 in 10 Americans believe that increased funding for medical and health research is vital for the country's future health and economic prosperity. Business leaders, politicians, and scientists need to unite on an agenda that's important for national competitiveness, jobs, and the future health of all Americans.
Despite this genuine sense of opportunity, it will not be easy to get our leaders to focus on issues of biomedical research funding, given the many competing priorities for scarce federal funds; the war in Iraq, Gulf reconstruction, high energy prices, and rising interest rates. It is particularly important to educate the many new members of Congress about the value and promise of federal biomedical research.
Continued...
SfN Charts New Approaches to Combat Attacks by Animal Rights Activists
In 2006, six attacks on researchers were reported to SfN. This equaled the total number of cases reported within the 1999-2003 five-year period. Although not all attacks get reported to SfN, the number of attacks has risen sharply in recent years, thus raising concerns that researchers will abandon animal research or leave research altogether.
Whatever the cause behind the rise in attacks - possibly increased Internet access around the world - animal extremists can mobilize and engage in behaviors
Continued...
|
