A tragic loss for scientific research

Award winning scientists previously hired by our government after a rigorous merit-based job application process were processing the impact of their illegal terminations today. These scientists were the next generation leaders of STEM in our country and the world. With years of experience and demonstrated track records of success in solving real world problems for growers and in managing human and livestock health problems, these individuals were running successful labs doing cutting edge research to protect our nation's livestock and crops against pests, disease and noxious weeds. They had a stakeholder base who relied on them for deliverables. Probationary periods for these scientists are 3 years. Some were one year in, others almost three. These were not low productivity workers doing low productivity jobs. I know many of them personally for years as friends, mentees and collaborators. These are people who were working 100 hour + weeks for YEARS for no overtime pay, putting in what it takes to make it to the top - a scientist position in the U.S. Govt. These brilliant individuals were expected to simply walk away from a complex, multi-phasic research program that we hired them to develop with no warning. There was no discussion with the government's intellectual property attorneys, no planning to continue the work on funded grants or other contracts, no chance to distribute biological collections to colleagues across the world. No time to discuss data management. There was no time for questions asked about papers or grant proposals that may be under review. There was no order or dignity to this process. By the time a scientist advances in their career to the stage where they can run their own program, they have already benefitted from years of taxpayer investment in their training. They were at the point in their career where the taxpayers were getting a return on their investment. The impact of losing this talent cuts deep, well beyond the individuals who were fired. Their postdocs, students and other trainees were left without a principal investigator and trusted mentor. Most scientists in these roles are in their 30s who endured years of personal sacrifice and low pay to have the kind of impact that makes them competitive for a federal scientist position. Who else lost their jobs this week? Technicians. These young people LOVE science. They are eager to work for the taxpayers for less than half of what they could earn in industry because they are civic minded and not in it for a pay check. They made a difference. We have lost the best of the best. The federal government is blindly firing researchers without any thought of the consequences. The loss of these positions is going to negatively impact so many other people and throw our economy into shambles. There is no just reason for this, it is being done purely to inflict pain and suffering.