Optical Society (OSA) members from around the US came together on Capitol Hill recently to speak with lawmakers about science policy issues, federal investments in research and development (R&D) and discuss proposed funding levels in the upcoming FY 2013 appropriations bills. The OSA members will join more than 200 scientists, engineers and graduate students as part of the annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD), sponsored by the Science-Engineering-Technology Working Group. CVD is held each year to educate legislators about the importance of R&D funding and the impact it has on the economy and innovation.
OSA’s participants will meet with more than 20 Capitol Hill offices in Washington, D.C., asking policy makers to continue to make sustained federal investments in science and technology programmes including programmes at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards in Technology, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the Department of Defense. The members will share their personal stories about the research they are doing, the jobs being created at their companies as a result, and the importance of federal R&D funding to their work.
By sharing their experiences as professionals in the field of optics and photonics and by pointing out specific optics-related advances that have been made possible as a result of federal funding, the participants hope to show lawmakers that investing in science and technology is an investment in America’s future. Advancements like the Internet, energy efficient lighting and the laser were all funded by federal research dollars, it is noted.
