AIBS has joined 37 other organizations, representing the full breadth of America’s scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research, in sending a letter to lawmakers urging support for the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The SBE Directorate is slated for termination under the President’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. “Even though our organizations represent scientific and technological fields that primarily receive research funding from other parts of NSF, we view SBE as a critical asset for advancing our respective scientific missions,” the groups argue.
The letter reads, in part:
“Many of the nation’s most pressing policy questions have a scientific or technological component that needs to be understood through a human lens, including through integrated modeling and design approaches that combine technical systems with human behavior. That is where the research that SBE supports comes into play, providing crucial data and theoretical frameworks that inform work across the entire research enterprise, including the biological, computer and information sciences, engineering, and the mathematical and physical sciences. Examples include research on team collaboration informing engineering design and understanding economic incentives for energy efficiency, as well as examining the impact of modern air power for national security. NSF’s support for SBE has even resulted in a remarkable number of economics Nobel laureates. Solving the most challenging modern research and development problems, such as the societal impacts of AI, cybersecurity, or public health, requires more than just technical research; the persistent barriers are fundamentally human.”
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