JSPG Special Issue: Hot Topics in 2013

Op-Ed: Shutdowns, Cuts, and Sequesters: Impacts to the Scientists Conducting Government Funded Research.
Gretchen Goldman, Christina Carlson and Melissa Varga
On October 1, the government went into a partial shutdown due to Congress' failure to approve a budget for Fiscal Year 2014. As a result, the government furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and federal contractors and suspended a variety of programs and services, all actions that will have many profound and long-lasting impacts - from food stamps to education to healthcare. But a less noticed yet vitally important impact has been the toll that these actions have taken on the scientific enterprise in the US. Continue reading
Gretchen Goldman, Christina Carlson and Melissa Varga
On October 1, the government went into a partial shutdown due to Congress' failure to approve a budget for Fiscal Year 2014. As a result, the government furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and federal contractors and suspended a variety of programs and services, all actions that will have many profound and long-lasting impacts - from food stamps to education to healthcare. But a less noticed yet vitally important impact has been the toll that these actions have taken on the scientific enterprise in the US. Continue reading

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Op-Ed: Juggling Chain Saws: Shutting Down Public Health Surveillance.
Kathleen Bachynski
Numerous public health threats, from infectious diseases to contaminated foods, do not respect state or local borders. As a result, fully functioning national-level public health research services are essential for tracking potential disease outbreaks. In particular, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the only federal entity able to conduct comprehensive, nation-wide disease surveillance and to provide assistance to state and local public health officials in responding to emerging communicable risks. Continue reading
Kathleen Bachynski
Numerous public health threats, from infectious diseases to contaminated foods, do not respect state or local borders. As a result, fully functioning national-level public health research services are essential for tracking potential disease outbreaks. In particular, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the only federal entity able to conduct comprehensive, nation-wide disease surveillance and to provide assistance to state and local public health officials in responding to emerging communicable risks. Continue reading

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Op-Ed: Blinkered Vision - The Wider Effects of the US Shutdown
Megan Argo
The partial shutdown of the Federal government had far-reaching effects on US science, and STEM research in general: research programs were put on hold, clinical trials have been postponed or canceled, and scientists across many disciplines were on enforced, unpaid leave. Whilst this is devastating for many research programs in the US, there are much wider effects now being felt by the scientific community around the world. Science is, by its very nature, a highly collaborative and international endeavor. Scientists do not work in isolation, but often as part of global teams cooperating across many borders, both physical and political, and the current state affects us all. Continue reading
Megan Argo
The partial shutdown of the Federal government had far-reaching effects on US science, and STEM research in general: research programs were put on hold, clinical trials have been postponed or canceled, and scientists across many disciplines were on enforced, unpaid leave. Whilst this is devastating for many research programs in the US, there are much wider effects now being felt by the scientific community around the world. Science is, by its very nature, a highly collaborative and international endeavor. Scientists do not work in isolation, but often as part of global teams cooperating across many borders, both physical and political, and the current state affects us all. Continue reading

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ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193