Comment from Mike Wakin

[200.432, 200.454, 200.461, 200.206, 200.450] To Whom it May Concern: I am a Professor of Electrical Engineering. 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. Professional societies plan an invaluable role in the American scientific enterprise. For example, they organize conferences where the brightest minds can get together and come up with new ideas, and they manage the peer review process for journals that evaluate and publish the best research in the world. In my field, it is difficult to predict in advance which scientific conferences and workshops will be the most valuable until the research has had time to evolve. Personally, my students and I might attend conferences in math, physics, optics, or signal processing. Having flexibility is key to nurturing our best ideas. Science builds upon science. Having access to the scientific record is critical for training students and informing our next steps. In my career, I have published over 70 journal papers, and my work has been cited over 38000 times. This is the primary means by which my work gets communicated to the world, and it gives a clear sense of the impact that the country's investment in my work has had. Science makes America great. To continue producing great science, it is essential to preserve a healthy ecosystem for professional activities.