Subject: Re: 2 more Chinese bioterror arrests
Who said anyone in the current regime was rational, or finds research valuable?

People who follow research, to name a group.

Maybe some believe that studies of pigeons' gambling habits are the stuff of the Pauling Award but the administration doesn't.

Here, here's some info for you:

https://engineering.purdue.edu...
Today’s geopolitical environment is driving intense focus on developing hypersonic systems that meet our nation’s defense and security needs, both now and for the foreseeable future. Given this reality, our nation needs to cultivate the best ideas and harvest resulting innovations from universities to realize the advanced capabilities of these systems.

There is wide agreement on the need for multidisciplinary research that converges state-of-the-art science in aerodynamics, materials, control systems, etc., to create robust hypersonic systems. Universities must collaborate with government and industry to craft multidisciplinary research leading to viable technologies that can be manufactured at scale.

Purdue’s large, interdisciplinary team of hypersonic research experts brings great depth and breadth of experience in basic and applied research for feasibility determination and design of strong, next-generation hypersonic systems. Purdue researchers are advancing experimental methods as well as computational tools in aerodynamics, materials, propulsion and control/trajectories disciplines, systems-level modeling, energetics and rapid verification and validation to reduce the risks involved in acquisition, production and fielding of hypersonic systems.

Research at Purdue that complements the University’s hypersonics work is equally critical to meeting the nation’s requirements. Purdue excels at systems-engineering research, and has demonstrated techniques for systematic integration of multiple technologies amid uncertainty. This advantage is key in achieving rapid innovation and transition to operational use.

Or we could fund pigeon gambling at Weed College in Portland. You can pick.