Smithsonian Research Cuts

The Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed significant budget cuts to the Smithsonian Institution, a collection of sixteen museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and numerous research facilities in the Unites States and abroad. The proposed budget cuts would delay opening of an art museum under renovation, cut programs at several other museums and transfer funding for three major research centers to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Critics of the proposal, including Smithsonian scientists and managers, say the changes would cut at the heart of the institution's contribution to science. They also argue that shifting research programs to the NSF wouldn't save money but would force the centers to compete with other researchers for funds rather than having dependable, long-term support for their work.

The OMB has already turned down an appeal to reconsider those proposals as it prepares the president's 2003 budget. So it's up to congress now to accept or modify the proposed budget cuts.

In this week's online lesson you will learn about the current research projects of the the Smithsonian Institution.

Research at the Smithsonian Institution

For this week's online lesson you will visit only one site: The Smithsonian Institution. When the home page opens you will see quite a few possibilities; for now click Research. The first eight links you see are research facilities of the Smithsonian Institution. According to the proposed budget cuts, three of these would be transferred to the NSF: the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

field study Start with the last link in the list, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Research & Collections. At this page you will find a good general introduction to research—specifically research that involves our natural world. What are the big questions that "motivate our scientists each waking hour" and drive research? How many objects and specimens are in the NMNH collection? Why do we preserve such specimens? What is the link between the collection and research?

Now go back and visit each of the following science research facilities online. Read about them and answer the questions provided.

Conservation Research

Maned wolf The mission of the Conservation and Research Center is to "advance conservation and biological diversity" by preserving and investigating threatened species. First learn a little about the CRC by clicking About CRC or by taking the CRC Tour. Where is the CRC? Who was using the land before the Smithsonian? How many species are in the mammal and bird units?

Go back and click Research, where you can learn about current research activities. You can explore a lot, but for now check out Species Recovery. What are the goals of this type of research? What is the species survival plan of the maned wolf? What is causing the decline of the Bali mynah?

Environmental Research

Go now to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and click Highlights. After reading the introduction, what would you say is studied here? How are the 2600 acres used by researchers?

Now click Research and read the short description of research activities at the center. For how many years has research been underway? How many people are involved in research there? Of this group, what percentage is focused on aquatic systems?

Astrophysics

Visit the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory site, click Research, and then Current and Proposed Projects. Choose any three of the projects listed and read the page about it. For example, HMC (Hydrogen Master Clock) is a project to develop a highly precise clock for measuring relativistic and gravitational effects and other things. After reading about the projects, what would you say is the overall value of each to science? What questions remain unanswered?

Marine Station

The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce is a research center specializing in marine biodiversity and ecosystems of Florida. Go to the site and read the introduction. Which museum is the facility associated with? How are the research findings used, and where are they published?

Click Research Interests and read the short page. What type of researchers come here to conduct field studies? What types of research are pursued here? Why is this an ideal location for biodiversity research? Click Indian River Species Inventory. How many species of animals and plants live in the Indian River lagoon? Name several.

Tropical Research

Canopy crane The final site is the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute headquartered in the Republic of Panama. This is one of the world's leading centers for basic research on the ecology, behavior and evolution of tropical organisms. To learn more about the research going on here, click What We Do at the top. The research programs are listed in the left column, and each is an active link. Choose three or four to investigate.

As one choice, click Forest Ecology to learn about efforts to identify, name and describe new forest species. Links in the paragraphs, like forest canopy, lead to additional details.

How do cranes help researchers study tropical forests? How many species may there be in the world's tropical forests? How many have been classified? Why is long-term data needed to analyze some research questions? Ask yourself similar questions as you read about several other research programs.

Overall do you agree or disagree with the OMB proposal to cut or change funding for Smithsonian projects. Which projects seem to best match the Smithsonian's overall goal?

Weekly Online Lesson

Online Lesson Archive

Grade Level: 9-12 Subject: Science