I am a Front Range native who grew up with a relentless curiosity. After high school, I was determined to pursue a career in science. Without the luxury of a trust fund or the desire to take on student debt, I worked my way through Front Range Community College. My “two-year” degree took four years. When it came time to transfer to Colorado State University (CSU), I had to rely on scholarships and public programs to continue my education. One key program was Bridges to the Baccalaureate (B2B), funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which provided tuition support and mentorship.

Though the NIH has since discontinued B2B, it was instrumental in helping students like me continue their education. I also received Pell Grants, held two part-time jobs, and earned private scholarships — ultimately graduating debt-free thanks to public and private support.

At CSU, I joined the Markus Lab, which was funded by the NIH and the Muscular Dystrophy Association to study the root causes of a neurological disorder, SMA-LED. Through this work, my mentor and I described some of the root causes of intellectual and motor impairments in the disease. Importantly, because this research was publicly funded, our findings are open-access and freely available to scientists, clinicians, and families alike (eLife, PMC).

I continued on to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). My research focused on how the shape of brain cells affects brain communication, a fundamental question in neuroscience that can lead to improved treatments for a range of neurological disease. Again, thanks to public funding, this work is openly shared with the scientific and medical communities (Nature Neuroscience).

Now, I’ve returned to Colorado to begin the next phase of my career, researching how the structure of brain tissue influences its function at CU Boulder. This work, too, depends on public investment.

We often hear about public funds going to roads, schools, and defense — but public support for science is just as crucial. And, for every dollar we put into research, we get a >250% return on investments. The U.S. leads the world in scientific and technological innovation not by accident, but because we, as a nation, have historically chosen to invest in scientific research. This investment fuels key industries — health care, biotechnology, agriculture, computing and more — and supports our role as a global leader.

Every taxpayer has helped fund my science. I want to say thank you. This is your investment, and these discoveries are your returns. Here are some resources to see where your money goes and where to find publicly available research reports.

I hope you take a moment to be proud of what we, the public, make possible through science — and to continue supporting the funding that makes these discoveries available to all. Consider adding your voice to our Citizens for Science Pledge (tiny.cc/sciencepledge).

Let’s not allow short-term politics to dismantle something so fundamental to America’s future. Science is not frivolous — it is foundational.

Jackie Griswold is a Longmont resident.