Science is suffering at some of the country’s top federal research partners as the government shutdown enters its second month. Some disrupted projects are crucial to public safety, experts say, including a major toxic algae monitoring program in the Great Lakes.
Employees at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) in Michigan are unable to access federal laboratory facilities, including NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory where they conduct much of their work. They’re also unable to communicate with many furloughed federal scientists they typically collaborate with.
That’s a major disruption to some of the institute’s primary objectives, which include analyzing toxins and communicating potential dangers to the public.
“Many of our research projects are paused,” CIGLR Director Gregory Dick said in an interview.
