Stung by what it regards as an inequitable distribution of funds in the next fiscal year's budget for research directorates at the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is lobbying the US Congress for the Biological Sciences Directorate to get its share of an additional $348 million appropriation approved on July 25 by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"We want the funding to be equally distributed among the directorates," Adrienne Froelich, the AIBS' director of public policy, told The Scientist. The entire Senate has yet to approve the NSF budget.

In an email alert, the Institute on Monday, August 13 called on members to fax letters to their Congressional representatives. The group, which represents 87 member societies with interests ranging from entomology to marine biology, also posted a letter that members can sign on its web site.

According to the alert, the Biological Sciences...

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