"This is the danger of what happens when writers have not enough to do"

PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer has just done a wonderful online story about how Science Debate 2008 originally came about, and how far it has come since those early days. Reporter Jenny Marder didn't miss a point that I myself have been making in talks like this one--namely that if it weren't for the Hollywood writers' strike, two of our central organizers, Matthew Chapman and Shawn Lawrence Otto, might've been a lot, er, busier, and consequently, we might have had a much tougher time getting off the ground.

To that effect, Marder quotes Otto: "This is the danger of what happens when writers have not enough to do."

Here's a memorable excerpt from the piece, on how it all came about:

Two years ago, Chapman covered a landmark court case in Dover, Pa., for Harper's magazine. The case found it unconstitutional for a school to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution. During the trial, scientists were called to the stand to teach aspects of molecular biology, modern genetics and paleontology in an effort to explain the science behind evolution. The teaching of science was so vital to the case that parts the trial were likened to a biology class.

"I saw in the context of that trial how it was possible to talk about quite complicated scientific information in a way that is easy to understand," Chapman said. "But then I started watching the presidential debates and was astonished how little conversation there was about science and technology." There was little or no talk about environmental policy, medical research, decoding the genome or the implications of stem cell research, he added.

So he "dragooned" a few friends, including Otto and science blogger Chris Mooney. Mooney recruited Duke University marine biologist Sheril Kirshenbaum and Krauss. Then John Rennie, editor of Scientific American, jumped onboard.

The core team of organizers stay in constant contact through an online chat room that they call a "virtual office."

"People are extraordinarily passionate about this issue," Otto said. "It's amazing how incredibly quickly people say, 'Yes, this needs to happen.' And we're constantly saying, 'Let's push this faster. Let's push this harder.'"

Much work remains to be done. A location has not been announced, though Otto said the group is in final negotiations on a site. Of course, the top candidates must agree to participate.

"I think that what we hope to do eventually is to try and regain the enthusiasm for science and technology that existed in the '50s and '60s," Chapman said. "While there are obviously some serious challenges that have to be met, there is also great opportunity. And we would like to bring that to the forefront of debate in this country. We would like to bring this into the consciousness of America."

Read the whole News Hour piece here.

Meanwhile, we've also created a new ScienceDebate2008 logo just for members of the blogger coalition, so feel free to steal: