The Impact of Cuts to Science and Education

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked with another CUNY colleague, a virologist, Dr. John J. Dennehy, and together we developed a protocol to detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus in New York City’s wastewater. This new technology, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), is very useful for detecting the presence of pathogens circulating in a population, even when patients show no symptoms. This tool is used in public health because it allows for early detection of pathogens, monitoring the evolution of diseases, and therefore distributing resources as efficiently as possible.

In 2023, we submitted a project to NSF to develop a training program in WBE for CUNY students. Our project was positively evaluated by a panel of experts. We received $1,000,000 to carry it out over five years. Unfortunately, on May 2 of this year, three years before its expiration date, our project was terminated. The reason given was that our proposal was not aligned with NSF’s priorities. By losing this funding, we have lost the ability to advance WBE and to train CUNY students, many of them Latino.

The United States has one of the best scientific research models in the world. Here, public and private organizations work together to improve the health of citizens, generate well-paying jobs, and train the next generation of scientists.

Unfortunately, both scientific research and education are being severely underfunded. In the past month, NSF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have prematurely cut many projects at CUNY, at the State University of New York (SUNY), and at other universities for being deemed incompatible with the new government’s priorities.

CUNY and SUNY have a high percentage of Latino students, and they are already feeling the impact of these cuts: they won’t have the financial aid they need to participate in summer programs or receive support to continue their studies. Even more concerning is the long-term impact of these cuts: we will have fewer Latino professors and doctors. We must respond and work together to stop these cancellations. We must talk about these issues in our communities, contact our representatives, join protests, and vote to ensure the government once again funds education and science.

And what do you think? Write to [email protected] and make your voice heard!

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