American Geophysical Union
NEWS

WASHINGTON - University of Nevada at Las Vegas physics department researcher Dr. Anastasia Chopelas journeyed to Washington, D.C., for face-to-face meetings on Capitol Hill April 5. She met with Representative Shelley Berkley (Democrat, 1st District, NV) to discuss her own research projects at UNLV, aspects of the proposed nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, and her desire to see an increase in federal funding for the physical sciences (physics, chemistry, earth and space sciences) to better balance that invested in the well supported field of biomedical research. Chopelas also visited the offices of Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Richard Bryan and discussed similar issues with their legislative staffs.

Dr. Chopelas was participating in an annual Capitol Hill fly-in called Science, Engineering, and Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD).This year 300 scientists, engineers, and mathematicians converged on Washington to emphasize that increased federal investment in science, engineering, and technology is fundamental to the nation's continuing prosperity. The American Geophysical Union, a Washington based scientific society of over 35,000 members, helped coordinate the participation of earth and space scientists in CVD. The program began on April 4 when Dr. Chopelas joined with her colleagues in the geophysical sciences as they listened to briefings from President Clinton's science advisor Neal Lane and the Director of the National Science Foundation Rita Colwell on April 4.

The next morning Republican representative Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania charged the group to get personally involved in the democratic process and thereby make it easier for Congress to speak about science and technology. Rep. Weldon emphasized that making the personal connection with elected representatives is vital, and he urged each scientist to learn the first names of the legislative assistants for their own representative and two senators. Dr. Chopelas and her colleagues put Weldon's recommendation into immediate practice by crisscrossing Capitol Hill all day and meeting directly with staff members in the Senate and House of Representatives who are responsible for science, engineering, and technology issues in the politicians' offices. Despite missing a few days of research in her lab, Dr. Chopelas remarked that the trip was well worth the effort and is a great opportunity to talk about science to the people who control the purse strings for scientific research.

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