The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Jenelle Wallace
From exploring space to mapping the human genome, American science has shaped the world. These scientific achievements, among many others, have been powered by steady public investment in science over many decades. Science fuels our curiosity, powers economic development, and improves our quality of living.
Growing up in Tucson, I participated in science fairs, first as a school requirement and later to pursue my own curiosity outside of the classroom. During one memorable middle school project on water quality, my mom drove me all over town to collect water samples from homes and schools. At the last school we visited, we were running late, so I collected a sample from the drinking fountain by the soccer field instead of one from inside the school. Several weeks later, the results showed that the drinking fountain had dangerous levels of lead, a contaminant that is associated with neurological problems in children. I wrote a letter to the school principal and confirmed the findings, eventually leading the school to close the drinking fountain and protect hundreds of students. This was my first introduction to the role of serendipity in scientific discoveries and the impact science can have on public good. That experience, along with wonderful mentors at the Southern Arizona Science and Engineering Fair and later the University of Arizona, gave me my start in science.
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Fast forward several decades, and I am now doing postdoctoral research supported through a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that may ultimately lead to treatments for those with currently untreatable brain diseases. However, the future of my research is now uncertain due to the Trump administration’s devastating cuts to scientific research funding.
In my current position, I study the development of the human brain and how human brains differ from the brains of other animals. Humans have a longer period of development and larger brains compared to other primates, allowing us greater capabilities for intelligence, language, and learning. However, these features can also increase our vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Since most biomedical research and drug testing is still done using animals like mice and rats, it is crucially important to understand how the human brain differs and which treatments might translate between species.
The current administration’s policies threaten scientific projects like this, among many others. Nationally, the administration’s proposed budget, which is still subject to change by Congress, recommends cutting the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget by $5 billion and the NIH budget by over $20 billion. That might sound like significant cost savings, but these unprecedented cuts do not make economic sense — a recent report found that every dollar invested in the NIH in 2024 generated $2.56 in new economic activity. Closer to home, the administration’s proposed cuts to NIH indirect costs, which support critical infrastructure for scientific research, would yield a loss of at least $61 million dollars in Pima County this year, threatening jobs and scientific training for the next generation.
Funding from both the NSF and NIH was vital to my scientific education. In the current funding environment, I worry that many young people will lack similar support to pursue careers in science — leaving all Americans poorer for the unrealized discoveries and untapped innovations those young scientists might have contributed.
What can you do? Contact your local representatives (resources below) and ask them to stand up for science. The NIH has received bipartisan support for over 70 years, and we cannot stand by while the Trump administration’s policies threaten U.S. scientific progress, economic stability, and global competitiveness.
Brain diseases don’t care about your political affiliation. The tragedy of a neurological diagnosis can happen to anyone. We need more research, new approaches, and novel treatments.
Science shouldn’t be political — curiosity belongs to everyone.
Pima County representatives:
Senator Mark Kelly, (202) 224-2235
Senator Ruben Gallego, (202) 224-4521
Representative Juan Ciscomani (202) 225-2542
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
Jenelle Wallace, PhD was born and raised in Tucson. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco.
