Several national higher education advocacy associations — Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and The Science Coalition (TSC) — are preparing to launch ScienceWorksForUS.org; an effort to highlight important research made possible at institutions across the country through funding provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). University-based projects, including from the UW, will be highlighted on the website. The official lauch will take place on Tuesday November 17th at a session on Capitol Hill in DC. A draft press release is provided below.
For Planning Purposes Only:
November 17, 2009
Contact:
Barry Toiv barry_toiv@aau.edu 202/898-7847
Paul Hassen phassen@aplu.org 202/478-6073
Ashley Prime aprime@qga.com 202/429-4002
Members of Congress, Scientists to Highlight Stimulus-funded Research and its Role in Recovery and Reinvestment Nationwide
WASHINGTON, DC – Members of Congress, university leaders, researchers and others will gather Tuesday, November 17, to discuss how funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is fueling research, recovery and reinvestment activities across the country. They also will launch a new initiative, ScienceWorksForUS, sponsored by the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and The Science Coalition (TSC).
The centerpiece of ScienceWorksForUS will be a website (www.ScienceWorksForUS.org) that highlights Recovery Act-sponsored research in all 50 states, telling the stories of the research and the researchers contributing to America’s recovery. The website will go live on Tuesday.
The ARRA provided more than $21 billion for scientific research and development, the purchase of scientific equipment, and science-related construction. This extraordinary investment, proposed by President Obama and enacted by Congress, is affirmation of the essential role scientific inquiry and discovery play in both short-term recovery and long-term economic growth. On Tuesday, the senior research officers of several universities will be on hand to discuss the impact that ARRA research funding is having on their campuses. Researchers from Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University will discuss the impact of ARRA funds on their work.
Who:
Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Dr. Steven Fluharty, Vice Provost for Research, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Michael Pazzani, Vice President for Research and Graduate and Professional Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Emily Carter, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University
Dr. Jin Kang, Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Caroline C. Whitacre, Vice President for Research, The Ohio State University
Participants as of 11-12-09; other participants to be confirmed
When: Tuesday, November, 17 at 12:30 pm
Where: 2253 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC
ScienceWorksForUS is an initiative of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A۰P۰L۰U), and The Science Coalition (TSC). AAU, A۰P۰L۰U, and TSC collectively represent more than 200 of the nation’s leading academic research institutions. The organizations supported the inclusion of research funding in the ARRA because basic research contributes to both short-term recovery and long-term economic growth. The funds for research are part of the reinvestment the nation must make to grow a strong economy that is based on addressing 21st Century challenges, including improving health and meeting energy needs in ways that help slow climate change.
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an association of 62 leading public and private research universities in the United States and Canada organized to develop and implement effective national and institutional policies supporting research and scholarship, graduate, professional, and undergraduate education, and public service in research universities. AAU universities award over one-half of all U.S. doctoral degrees and 55 percent of those in the sciences and engineering.
Founded in 1887, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A۰P۰L۰U) is an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 219 members enroll more than 4.7 million students, award nearly one-million degrees annually, and conduct nearly two-thirds of all academic research, totaling more than $34 billion annually. As the nation’s oldest higher education association, A۰P۰L۰U is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery and engagement.
The Science Coalition is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization representing 48 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic research as a means to stimulate the economy, drive innovation and secure America’s global competitiveness.
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