As president-elect Barack Obama's team designs an economic stimulus programme involving large expenditures, it may seem that other priorities, such as strongly increased federal investment in the sciences, must wait for better times. We believe, to the contrary, that the stimulus package provides a great opportunity to begin rebuilding US science, because increased science funding is an ideal stimulus: it creates good jobs across the economy; there is large pent-up need so that money can be spent immediately; and it represents an investment in the infrastructures of scientific research and higher education that are vital to the future.
隨著當選總統巴拉克•歐巴馬(Barack Obama)的團隊制定出一項涉及鉅額支出的經濟刺激計劃，聯邦政府大幅增加科研投資等其它各項優先項目，似乎必須另待良機。我們認爲，恰恰相反，這項經濟刺激計劃爲着手重建美國科研事業提供了一個難得的機會，因爲增加科研經費是一個理想的刺激手段：它爲各行各業創造了良好的就業機會；科研領域存在大量被壓抑的需求，因此資金很快就能被花掉；它還意味著對科研和高等教育基礎設施進行了投資，而這兩者對於未來至關重要。