In our current world of 24/7 news sources catering to audiences of every sliver of the political spectrum it can be difficult to find an objective news source. The physical science community is fortunate that it can turn to FYI, The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News for its unbiased analysis of developments on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies supporting physical science research and STEM education.
The first issue of FYI was written 25 years ago this month. AIP had hired Dick Jones that summer of 1989 to staff AIP’s first permanent government relations office; at that time AIP was located in New York City. Dick worked in AIP’s Washington office located in the headquarters building of the American Geophysical Union, which was also the home of the American Astronomical Society and the Washington staff of the American Physical Society.
One of the drivers behind FYI was a chance encounter Dick had at an evening reception where he met the Republican and Democratic staff directors of the House Science Committee. When asked how AIP’s new government relations office could contribute to science policy formulation, they both spoke of the need for impartial information and analysis about developments on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in Washington.
The first issue of FYI was sent—in hard copy through the US mail—to three people: AIP’s CEO, the director of Physics Programs, and the manager of the Public Information Division. Within a few months the mailing list included members of the Governing Board, and soon after, Member Society officers and staff. Within a few years the conversion was made to email and after that, posting on AIP’s webpage.
FYI now has thousands of readers in universities, national laboratories, corporations, associations, news media, embassies, federal agencies, and at the White House. It is viewed as a trusted source of information and analysis free of political bias. I have plenty of anecdotal evidence from my visits to Capitol Hill and federal agency offices that FYI is as valuable to congressional committees and federal agencies as it is for funding recipients in the research community.
The issues FYI covers have remained relatively constant throughout the years, with a focus on federal science funding. FYI has covered the fortunes of the Superconducting Super Collider (terminated by Congress in 1993), the International Space Station, Large Hadron Collider, ITER, and other large facilities. Recurring themes during the 25 years have been science funding and STEM education. The first FYI reviewed a comprehensive Senate bill addressing “the critical need for improvement in science and math education” in a program to be administered by the Department of Education and National Science Foundation. The second issue reported on a hearing of the House Science Committee where representatives expressed frustration about “what budgetary constraints are doing to NASA’s plans.”
FYI is an example of the umbrella services AIP provides to its Member Societies and the larger science community. It fully lives up to its description as “an objective, authoritative digest of science policy developments in Washington impacting the physical science community.”