I remember the first time I looked through a microscope and saw living cells move their tiny cilia, waving like underwater dancers. I was a student in India, and that single moment sparked a lifelong desire to understand life at its most fundamental level. That curiosity brought me to where I am today: a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, studying how cells build and control microscopic organelles that are vital for health and development.
I came to the United States because of its long-standing leadership in science and innovation. The research environment here is collaborative, inspiring, and full of promise, but it all rests on a fragile foundation: public investment in science. And right now, that foundation is at risk.
Federal funding for science, particularly from agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), is under threat of major cuts in the FY2025 budget proposals, reductions that could total billions of dollars. These aren’t just budget lines. They’re lifelines. They fund not only critical research but also jobs, infrastructure, and the next generation of scientists.
In Georgia alone, NIH funding brought in more than $900 million in 2023, supporting thousands of jobs, training programs, and research initiatives. These investments ripple outward, enriching communities, improving public health, and powering local economies. When this support is cut, entire ecosystems of discovery are disrupted. Labs shrink. Promising young researchers leave. And science slows down.
Scientists are speaking out to raise public awareness
Credit: Dr. Sunita Sharma
Credit: Dr. Sunita Sharma
My work using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga, to study how cells organize internal structures may sound far removed from daily life. But it connects directly to major health challenges, including respiratory illnesses, cancer, infertility, and neurodegenerative diseases. Science often advances this way: small, patient discoveries that build toward transformative breakthroughs.
These breakthroughs don’t happen without stable support. In recent months, I’ve seen labs lose grants, training programs shrink, and researchers reconsider their future in science. Behind every paper is a person, and behind every person, a network of public support.
That’s why I joined the McClintock Letters initiative, a national effort where scientists write guest opinion columns to raise awareness about public science funding. The campaign is named after Nobel Laureate Barbara McClintock, whose work with corn genetics fundamentally changed biology. Like many scientists, she made groundbreaking discoveries in a quiet lab, with public funding and long-term trust in the research process.
As an international researcher, I’ve found both opportunity and community in Georgia. This state has welcomed me and made me want to stay, not only to conduct research but to give back. Supporting science isn’t just about sustaining laboratories; it’s about sustaining people, potential, and progress.
Public investment is essential for scientific research
The solution isn’t complicated. We need Congress to protect NIH and NSF funding and ensure science remains a national priority. And we need readers — whether scientists, students, patients, or taxpayers — to make their voices heard.
You can take action by signing the Citizens for Science Pledge and contacting your representatives to advocate for public research support.
I don’t know exactly where my career in science will take me next. But I do know this: the research I do today wouldn’t exist without public investment. And neither would I be where I am now — a curious student turned scientist, working in a lab in Georgia with the hope of making a difference.
When we invest in science, we invest in our future — our health, our economy and our collective progress.
Dr. Sunita Sharma is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia studying cilia biology and gene regulation.
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