Mar 13, 2025 By Shane Coffield 4 min read

Washington County is a great place to grow an Earth scientist.

I know – I am one. I can easily trace my science roots to Washington County – from the deep respect for nature I developed in the Boy Scouts at Camp Anawanna, to the awe and inspiration of seeing the rings of Saturn at Mingo Creek Park Observatory. My public education at Trinity led to field trips to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.Va., where I learned to see the universe in a different light, literally, and appreciate the importance of federal science research.

I went to college and graduate school for Earth and environmental sciences. I thrived thanks to federal student loans, work-study awards, NASA internships, and research grant money from the National Science Foundation (NSF). I’m proud of the work: identifying and predicting wildfires; understanding the relationships between forests, climate change, and land management practices; and more recently in my current position, bridging the gap between scientific data and policymaking.

This work would not have been done by a for-profit company. Federally funded science delivers results openly to the American people in the name of public service – even when the results are unpopular or take years to return their value. From the National Weather Service (NWS) at NOAA to the U.S. Forest Service to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), science agencies provide critical information that might save your life, and also fuels innovation in the private sector. Where do weather apps get their data? From public datasets from the NWS. Google Maps was based on Landsat satellite imagery from NASA and USGS. These investments are cost effective, returning many times more value than they cost.

Unfortunately, the past month has seen devastating cuts to federal science agencies, terminating thousands of employees and upending billions of dollars in grants that communities rely on. Even though courts have ordered some staff and programs reinstated, the cuts continue. Many of the nation’s best and brightest scientists are being told that their work and skills aren’t valued. When you cut staff working on extreme weather forecasting at NWS, public health grants at NIH, or forest and fire managers at USFS, you remove expert knowledge. Operations become slow and inefficient, and life is more dangerous for all of us.

It’s a problem that affects both Washingtons – including thousands of federal employees and millions of dollars in federal funding in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Federal workers are your neighbors and friends providing services and resources. They’re the people and agencies giving storm alerts, monitoring air quality, helping farmers plan for the coming season, or cleaning up local streams and rivers. They make our quality of life better.

In 2024, Pennsylvania received $332 million in NSF awards, including support for university research, STEM education, and local businesses. The state also received $2 billion in NIH funding. This money supports local staff and economies and provides life-saving resources to people who need it. It also helps bring more people into science and engineering so we will have competent scientists to support the next generation.

I’m a scientist because of where and how I was raised – developing a deep curiosity and appreciation for the natural world, and a desire to serve my community. I want the kids going through school now and years from now to have the same opportunities I had. We need bipartisan support for public science and education. Pennsylvanians deserve the quality of life that science can provide.

Contact your representative and ask them to oppose staff and funding cuts to federal science agencies: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative; Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who represents Washington & Greene counties: https://reschenthaler.house.gov/contact/.

Dr. Shane Coffield is a Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C. He has worked in data analysis to support federal agencies on topics like agriculture, land use, forestry, and wildfires. The views expressed here are his own and do not represent AAAS or any federal agency.