Recent moves to freeze funding and cut research initiatives at universities in the United States could stifle scientific advancement around the world, according to a new essay written by a School of Education faculty member.
Published this month in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the commentary argues global research networks will be harmed if recent efforts by the federal government continue. Those efforts include moves to freeze funding at Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as cuts to research in specific areas of study.
“These attacks on universities and federally funded research undermine the arrangements (such as having university faculty members rather than political appointees review proposals for federal grants) that make the USA a globally competitive producer of scholarly scientific publications,” wrote Frank Fernandez, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
Fernandez co-authored the publication with Neal Hutchens, University Research Professor of educational policy studies and evaluation at the University of Kentucky.
Read the entire piece, “Restrictions on US academic freedom affect science everywhere,” here.