Partnership for Access to Laboratory Science

Recently we received this message from the American Chemical Society.
Please contact your U.S. Representative by March 14 regarding the importance of signing onto a letter to the House Appropriations Committee authored by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) that supports $5 million in funding for the Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science (PALS) at the National Science Foundation. This program was authorized by the America COMPETES Act in 2007 and needs to be funded through the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process. An appropriation of $5 million for PALS in fiscal year 2009 would establish a pilot program to improve hands-on laboratory science capabilities at the high school level (especially in high-need schools) by creating public-private partnerships funded through NSF. ACS has long stressed the importance of safe, hands-on, inquiry based instruction to science education in order to better educate our young people in math and science and to attract more of our best students into technological careers. Clearly, if the U.S. is to keep up with global competitors, we must step up our investment in math and science education. The failure to increase funding means fewer research grants can be awarded and fewer dollars will go to science education. Your legislators need to hear from you: please remind them that science R&D and education funding is critical to keeping the U.S. globally competitive. We must not allow a repeat of 2007 funding levels.

Please link to
http://www.act4chemistry.org/action/PALSdearcolleague/
and thank you for your help.