My Recent Experience Advocating for Science

These are hard times for science. I know many of us are looking for ways to connect and speak about the challenges we face in trying to be productive in light of severe cuts to funding. Most of us have never faced a time like this, when we had to explain why science is valuable. Shouldn't it be obvious?

If you have spent your life in science, you were likely focused on science problems, not advocacy. But here we are — and if we don’t advocate, who will? Now is the time, and I would encourage you to speak to anyone and everyone about the importance of science. Not just astronomy or space science, but all science.

I was recently contacted by members of the House of Representatives from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to speak at an event they were hosting at the Capitol, “The Things We'll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants,” to highlight what is being lost.

Like many scientists, speaking at this forum was a bit out of my wheelhouse and comfort zone. I was in a hall full of scientists giving posters — like at an AAS meeting — except in this case, each poster ended with the story of how the support was suddenly gone, the work would not continue, and the scientists needed to look elsewhere for employment.

Several Congress members addressed the crowds and vowed to fight to restore funding, and there were media covering the event as well.

Below is the speech I gave. I am sharing this here in the hopes that it might give you ideas if and when you have an opportunity to advocate.

— Adam Riess (Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011)

Thank you all for being here.

The universe began expanding more than 13 billion years ago, in an event we call the Big Bang. My colleagues and I discovered that about 5 billion years ago, this expansion suddenly accelerated — driven by a mysterious force we call dark energy, still one of the greatest unsolved puzzles in science.

Around that same time, our solar system formed — just one of 100 billion star systems in our Milky Way galaxy, itself one of 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe. And in a tiny corner of it, under just the right conditions, life emerged from star stuff.

But not just life — thinking life. Life advanced enough, in just the last few decades, to ask the big questions:
Are we alone?
What is the universe made of?
Where did we come from?

We’ve built telescopes to look outward and search for answers. And the lessons we’ve learned along the way — about gravity, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics — are not just academic. They are embedded in the GPS systems we use to find our way and the batteries that power our smart phones that show us where we are.

We’ve also turned those telescopes inward, into microscopes. In inner space science has taught us about the miracle of life — and how to fight the diseases that threaten it, from cancer to Alzheimer’s. These discoveries may not just save our own lives, but the lives of people we love.

And beyond outer and inner space, we’ve unlocked virtual space — the space of computers and code. From the first calculators to AI and quantum computing today — scientific research has supercharged the productivity of the modern world.

Nearly every innovation that defines our era — every breakthrough from my field and from those of my colleagues — traces back to basic science research.

And here’s the key point:
Science doesn’t just pay in knowledge — it pays back in dollars.
Most economic studies estimate that every $1 invested in science research returns $10 to the broader economy. There’s no investment portfolio that compounds like science. Each discovery builds on the last — unlocking breakthroughs we never could have made without the preceding one. Science is a pipeline, the endless frontier.

Since World War II, the United States has led the world in scientific research — fueled by scientists fleeing war-torn Europe and finding a new home in American universities and labs. That leadership has been our secret sauce, the engine of innovation and prosperity, and the envy of the world.

I trust that all administrations want to maintain US science leadership, as it is crucial for keeping America great.

But today, that leadership is at risk. The proposed cuts to US science funding — some slashing budgets by 60% or more such as in my own field of physics and space science — pose the greatest threat to American science in our lifetimes.

We cannot lead the world in science — or in any endeavor — while slamming the brakes on investment.

These cuts would cancel long-running studies that span decades.
They would halt promising drug and vaccine trials.
And in my own field, they could stop a space telescope, already built and ready for launch next year, from launching after 20 years of work.

If these cuts go through, I fear we won’t just lose progress — we’ll lose people. Another brain drain, this time not to the US, but away from it, as other countries step up to welcome the talent and potential we cast aside.

It is not too late. Congress can provide the needed funding. To quote the famous science advocate Mary Lasker, “If you think research is expensive, try disease.”

And there is still so much we need to discover:

• A cure for cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or the next pandemic
• Clean, unlimited energy from the power of the stars
• A way for AI to help us without harming us
• How to restore and preserve our planet’s climate and biodiversity
• How to build a longer, healthier human lifespan
• An understanding of how consciousness arises from the brain
• And answers to the ultimate questions: What is the universe made of — and are we alone?

We don’t know the answers. But I do know this: Sustained investment in science is our best and only path to get there.

Thank you.