Comment from Anne Cox

[200.300, 200.218] To Whom it May Concern: I am a professor of physics. I am writing in my personal capacity to oppose the proposed revisions to sections 200.300 and 200.218 that would impede STEM recruitment and retention initiatives and restrict certain research fields vital to broadening participation in STEM. I have worked to support women in physics and to encourage young students to consider a career in physics. There are not enough students interested in pursuing physics to drive scientific innovation in the future if we do not recruit students from a wider population which means making the field more welcoming to women and underrepresented minorities. I have both benefitted from and co-lead an NSF ADVANCE program grant and that program has been canceled. This grant has been a lifeline for women in STEM. Without it, many more women would have (by their own accounts) left the field and scientific and technological developments would have been harmed. The domestic STEM workforce is shrinking and to meet the demand for STEM (if the US is to remain a leader in science and technology), we need to support all individuals in STEM. This means opening the field up to all which means supporting efforts to increase the diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM.