On Monday at 11:30AM, the Science Track presented panelists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Defense (DOD), and academia to discuss the broad strokes of receiving or applying for government funding generally and specific to science.

As an overview, the panelists stressed that the U.S. Government (USG) is the largest supporter of science and research and development (R&D) in the United States. The USG funds everything from research and sponsored projects to education and labs, helping to cover administrative costs for many organizations and universities. While an exhaustive list would be hard to come by, here are a few things the panelists noted:

1. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs: The DOD invests in education by paying for STEM programs in high schools, especially those in underserved communities. Education is an investment in the whole country, and it’s in the USG’s best interests to ensure a pipeline of future engineers, scientists, and doctors.
2. Basic research: This could include a lot of things, but the panelists noted a lab in Norh Carolina that gets government funding to burn stuff. That’s it. It just burns stuff. While this might seem silly, the panelists reminded the audience that research is cumulative, and the understanding of how something burns can be fundamental to more complex research.
3. Complex research: An example of this is gator-meat testing. Yes, the USG funds research into testing gator meat in South Carolina, which may sound odd. But the project is looking at the presence of long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS in wildlife. Measuring how much is in gator meat is a proxy for how much would be in human bodies and, since humans do eat gator, it could tell us how much people may be consuming through meat products.
4. Building and installation maintenance: Many military installations—such as those in Europe—are no longer needed and remain empty, but we pay to keep them because, as one panelist noted, “money is a coalition builder.” The USG wants good relationships with other countries, and paying another country rent keeps relationships good.

Getting and keeping USG funding is not easy—it takes time, resources, and effort to produce competitive proposals or grant requests—and the amount available in any given year per agency (e.g., the EPA, DOD, National Science Foundation) is decided by Congress. But individuals can affect budgets in multiple ways:

1. Show your support for US agencies, programs, or funding streams by calling your representatives. You can do this for science funding but also funding for the arts and humanities, among others.
2. Participate in your community. There are likely programs right in your town—like a DOD-funded STEM program—you can support. Showing up to events they sponsor or showcase strengthens the likelihood the program will continue to get funding.
3. Talk about and promote programs you know about. Don’t be afraid to engage in conversation with others about what an agency funds and why it is important.

Many thanks to the panelists for sharing their experiences and thoughts, all of which were their own and not representative of the USG.