Over the last several weeks I have criticized Senator John Kerry for making several mistaken assertions about trends in federal funding for science and technology. Well, it may very well be that Senator Kerry is receiving incorrect information from his advisors who in turn get incorrect evidence from leaders in the scientific community.

As evidence, see this speech made Thursday by Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who happens also to be the President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In her speech she states:

“The Federal investment in research, measured as a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has declined by almost two-thirds since the 1980s.”

And then AAAS quotes her speech extensively in a news release, leading with the following:

“AAAS President Shirley Ann Jackson warned Thursday that U.S. economic growth and homeland security are being threatened by declining federal investment in scientific research and by declining student interest in science and technology.”

Contrary to President Jackson’s assertions, the fact is, according to the AAAS (see this graph) R&D funding as a percentage of GDP is about 33% less than it was in its peak during the 1980s, but it has been increasing dramatically as a percentage of GDP since 2000. And as posted here last week, according to the NSF, “Graduate student enrollment in science and engineering (S&E) programs across the United States reached a record high in the fall of 2002.”

The scientific community clearly shares responsibility for some of the confusion in current discussion of trends in science budgets. If any group values the importance of getting the facts straight you’d surely think that it would be the science community and its leaders.