Having applied for the STAR grant this year, I was stunned at the letter I received stating that no new awards would be given. Like many graduate students across the country, I was counting on it as a possible funding source for my research.

The fact that the STAR program was not included in the Bush administration's budget needs to be made a public issue so that Americans understand the true position of the administration towards environmental science and higher education. The STAR program and the NSF graduate fellowships are two of the only large-scale fellowships available for graduate students who are trying to conduct independent research without aid from their advisors or other sources. If the United States considers itself a world leader in higher education, then such fellowships should be maintained in order to continue producing the world's best scientists.

I urge all students who applied for the STAR this year and those who might apply in the future to join me in writing letters to congressmen and the president expressing our dismay with such an irrational and unnessesary budget cut. Only by making our voices heard will we be able to have an influence on the policy that in part determines the opportunities we are offered to conduct meaningful and beneficial research without concern for where our next paycheck will come from