Students at the very active fusion group in Madison drafted a letter about expressing the deep concerns the young scientists involved in fusion research have about the proposed FY13 budget and beyond. The letter was circulated to all the institutions across the nation involved with fusion and plasma physics research (that is a lot of labs and Universities!).
The key points expressed in the letter to Dr. Holdren and Secretary Chu are:
- Long-term progress in fusion research depends on the continuous transfer of knowledge; the proposed budget damages the community required for this continuity
- ITER and the domestic fusion program are both critical to achieving commercial fusion power and should not be placed in competition with each other
- The direction of the FY 2013 budget strongly threatens US global leadership in fusion research and technology
Read a copy of the letter at the site or below.
Visit the facebook page for young plamsa physics and fusion researchers:
http://www.facebook.com/PlasmaPhysicsGrads
The letter was circulated and signed by 258 graduate students and post-docs at 24 different research institutions before being sent along with signatures to Dr. Holdren and Dr. Chu.
Read the letter below:
