PHOTO: BELL MEDIA GROUP122 8 APRIL 2022 • VOL 376 ISSUE 6589 science.org SCIENCEtiring Senator Richard Shelby (R–AL), a
master earmarker who topped this year’s
list with some $548 million in home-state
projects, added a novel twist to the tra-
ditional funding for academic bricks and
mortar with a $50 million endowment at
the University of Alabama to attract and
retain world-class faculty in the sciences.
The new rules haven’t won over oppo-
nents. A spokesperson for the Association
of American Universities, for example, says
it stands behind a 2018 statement that
declares “should Congress restore ear-
marks, AAU respectfully urges that com-
petitive peer-review continue to be the
primary method for allocating federal re-
search funding.”
But AAU and other higher education
organizations that oppose earmarks ac-
knowledge their appeal. Jeff Lieberson of
the Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities says, “APLU’s focus is on pro-
grammatic requests,” referring to its tradi-
tional advocacy for more federal spending
on certain activities or for an entire agency
rather than for a specific project. “But we
understand member institutions [also]
may seek congressionally directed spend-
ing consistent with the rules of Congress.”
The new rules prompted at least one
legislator to choose her earmarks in a way
meant to address some of the flaws in the
old system. Earmarks should represent the
“highest and best use” of federal dollars,
says Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D–
PA), who won a seat in Congress in 2018
touting her expertise as a scientist—she’s
an industrial engineer with a master’s
degree from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology—educator, and serial en-
trepreneur. To meet that goal, Houlahan
created a process that parallels how gov-
ernment agencies like the National Insti-
tutes of Health (NIH) and the National
Science Foundation assess the merit of
grant proposals.
Traditionally, those seeking earmarks
might hire a lobbyist to make their case—
or go directly to a lawmaker. But Houlahan
required any group seeking an earmark
to submit a written proposal, complete
with a budget justification and outside let-ters of recommendation. She chose nine
community leaders—given anonymity to
ensure they would not be the target of
lobbying—to score each request using cri-
teria such as the project’s potential benefits
for the regional economy and public health
and safety, as well as whether it would
improve equity.
The panel met several times to discuss
proposals in the top half of the rankings,
much as an NIH study section would, and
agreed that roughly one-third of the 53 re-
quests were worthy of funding. (The losers
were given tips on how to improve their
proposals and encouraged to reapply next
year, again mirroring the federal process.)
Houlahan then chose 10—the maximum
number allowed each House of Represen-tatives member—to be considered by con-
gressional appropriators.
Houlahan won approval for all but one
project, totaling $6.2 million. The biggest
payout, at $1.5 million, went to Albright
College, a small liberal arts school in Read-
ing, Pennsylvania, to expand an afterhours
and summer program that draws middle
and high school students into science by
encouraging them to find real-world appli-
cations for what they’re learning.
“It checked all of her boxes,” says a
Houlahan staffer about the program,
called the Science Research Institute (SRI).
Houlahan was especially impressed by the
program’s track record of serving low-income
students, minorities, and those with disabili-
ties, as well as the fact that several older stu-
dents have developed technologies they are
hoping to patent.
Adelle Schade, a high school biology
teacher, began SRI in 2014 to supplement
classroom science instruction at her school.
Operating on a shoestring budget, Schade
secured donations from area hospitals and
medical supply companies to outfit labs
with professional-grade equipment suitable
for student research projects.
In 2020, Albright College acquired SRI,
which has served 6000 students since its
inception, and hired Schade as dean of pre-
college and summer programs. Albright’s
goal is to further expand the program and
perhaps export the model to other localities.
The institute’s emphasis on tackling real-
world problems appealed to Albright’s presi-
dent, Jacquelyn Fetrow, a biochemist who
founded a bioinformatics company early in
her academic career. Besides getting middle
and high school students excited about sci-
ence, Fetrow believes SRI can help the college
produce graduates with the technical skills
and business savvy to revitalize the local
economy, which has been shedding manufac-
turing and retail jobs for decades.
Seeking an earmark was the only way a
small college that emphasizes teaching over
research could attract federal dollars to re-
alize SRI’s potential, she notes. “We can’t
follow the traditional route of bringing in
superstar faculty who win hundreds of mil-
lions in federal grants,” says Fetrow, who
built her career at large research universi-
ties before coming to Albright in 2017.
Science doesn’t know of other lawmakers
who followed Houlahan’s path in selecting
earmarks this year. And those who decry
the practice are still assessing its impact
on agency budgets. The 1% cap removes
some of the foul odor emanating from ear-
marks, says one higher education lobbyist,
before adding, “But we’re going to watch
closely to see if they start to get out of con-
trol again.” jRepresentative Chrissy Houlahan (D–PA, center) won an earmark for a program to draw students into science.NEWS | IN DEPTH