The Intersection

Well, it's official: On Wednesday I head out to the left coast for the start of the book tour. The first talk, on Thursday in La Jolla, will be one to remember (for me at least, and hopefully also for the audience). It will take place at the annual conference of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), a group that has been on the front lines fighting to defend the integrity of science, especially when it comes to issues like Plan B emergency contraception. But moreover, this talk, entitled "Science Friction: When Science and Politics Collide," is actually going to be given on the occasion of my receiving ARHP's annual "Preserving Core Values in Science" award. See here for the event program where the award is announced.

I am extremely honored by this, obviously. I certainly have tried to defend and preserve core values in science; I have been out there fighting quite a bit; and I hope that at least to some extent I have been successful. Still, there are many people who have also worked hard on this issue, ranging from Henry Waxman and his staff to the Union of Concerned Scientists to many of my fellow ScienceBloggers. And so of course I am flattered by the attention from ARHP, and, to quote Wayne and Garth, "not worthy."

In closing I'll just say this: ARHP is a wonderful and important organization, and I'm looking forward to their conference.

P.S.: The ARHP talk will be followed almost immediately by a book talk at Warwick's in La Jolla, and then, a night out with the area's Drinking Liberally group. As soon as I'm sober again, count on me to be blogging when I can from the road, and issuing updates on my appearances.....