January 2016 State of the Union from a geosciences perspective

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January 12, 2016

This January, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address to Congress. During his speech, the President touched on many different science issues, including energy, climate change, STEM education, and the spirit of innovation. Among these were the President’s remarks about the space race with Russia that launched U.S. supremacy in aeronautics, underscoring the current need to invest in basic research at the federal, state, and local level. He exclaimed, “We didn’t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight. And 12 years later, we were walking on the moon.”

In addition to these more direct anecdotes, the President’s address also focused on the common themes of the economy, national security, and public health and safety. The geosciences can help contribute to all of these goals directly and indirectly through creating jobs and wealth, maintaining a steady supply of raw minerals and materials, and providing data and information on water quality, natural hazards, and more.

Source: The White House