Comment from Cole Graham

[200.432, 200.454, 200.461, 200.206, 200.450] To Whom it May Concern: I am an assistant professor of mathematics. I am writing in my personal capacity to oppose the proposed revisions to sections 200.432, 200.454, 200.461, 200.206, and 200.450 that would restrict typical professional expenses, curtail the communication of scientific results, and place excessive scrutiny on the activities of scientists. My membership in the American Mathematical Society (AMS) keeps me abreast of research advances, provides access to valuable expository work, and connects me to important sources of professional and career advice. In addition, the AMS plays an important role advocating for mathematical research at the national level. The proposed § 200.454 could be a significant hurdle to my membership in the AMS, and could hinder or suppress its valuable advocacy work. Scientific conferences are a crucial venue to share my work and meet others working in similar areas. I met several new collaborators at conferences, and those programs ultimately led to a number of published papers. The proposed § 200.432 would place significant limits on the conferences I am able to attend in the future, and thus has the potential to extinguish future collaborations. The role of publications in a modern scientific career cannot be overstated. Moreover, I believe it is essential that publicly-funded work be available to the public. This is currently enabled by the use of federal funds to pay publishing fees, particularly to make works open access. Disallowing open access fees for federal grants, as in the proposed § 200.461, is manifestly self-defeating and contrary to the interests of the tax-paying public.