Politics and Science
cmooney | October 23, 2008My latest Science Progress column is a piece of reporting from the Innovation 2008 conference, and contemplates what will happen to science budgets in a coming era of unprecedented federal budget deficits. The answer: No one knows for sure, but it can't be good.
You can read the column here.
sheril | October 22, 2008About a year ago, we had an idea to make science more prominent on the campaign trail this election cycle: ScienceDebate2008 was born.
It wasn't long before a lot of folks took notice and the initiative grew rapidly. Eventually, the presidential candidates weighed in.
This week, ScienceDebate2008 co-hosted Innovation 2008 with the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota--a conference bringing together academics, policy makers, business leaders, scientists, educators, artists, students, and the public to discuss solutions to the major challenges…
cmooney | October 15, 2008Given their unwillingness to debate science on the campaign trail, I've been down on both McCain and Obama. However, I increasingly must acknowledge that even as McCain went and appointed an anti-science running mate and started scoring cheap political points by attacking government science projects, Obama has started to truly shine when it comes to taking science policy seriously.
Yeah, he's had scores of Nobel Laureates endorse him, but that's not my only evidence. The most impressive thing Obama has done, to my mind, is this recent letter to Ralph Cicerone, president of the National…
cmooney | October 8, 2008I've now been writing for this website since October of 2007, and have delighted to watch it mature into one of the top sites for serious science policy analysis on the web. To that end, my one year anniversary column, entitled "A Year's Worth of Thinking About Science Policy," enumerates five of the recurrent themes that have emerged from the site:
1. We need a new administration that takes science much more seriously across the board--that listens to scientists, that follows recommendations and wants to restore integrity to science in the federal government.
2. We need a similar…
cmooney | October 2, 2008My latest Science Progress column just went up--it's about the series of reports the National Academies has done over the past eight years (see here, here, and here) to help facilitate presidential transitions with respect to science and technology appointments, and the interesting commonalities that these reports share.
All the reports stress the need for a high level presidential science adviser who's appointed to his post early on (something the Bush administration of course failed to do). They all call for streamlining the appointments process and cutting down on red tape. And the most…
sheril | September 26, 2008Yesterday 61 Nobel Laureates* released a letter endorsing Barack Obama for President:
An Open Letter to the American People
This year's presidential election is among the most significant in our nation's history. The country urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness.
We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader, and we urge you to join us in supporting him…
sheril | September 26, 2008I mean it's cool the Arizona Senator seems to care about the well being of fish all of a sudden, but uh seriously, what's with McCain and oil? I mean 'Drill Baby Drill' isn't exactly a convincing campaign slogan.
[Thanks to Mark Powell for the video]
sheril | September 22, 2008From the New York Times to the LA Times, Obama's and McCain's answers to the 14 top science questions are getting great coverage, but the biggest question remains: Who's better for U.S. science?
Now's your chance to weigh in on their answers and tell the world what you think... Log on to www.sciencedebate2008.com/vote to give our presidential candidates an A - F grade and comment on how they responded.
- Sheril, Chris, and the rest of ScienceDebate2008.com
cmooney | September 17, 2008So: I'm en route to Mississippi right now, for a panel discussion about science and the election that is to precede the first of three presidential debates, scheduled to be held on the Ole Miss campus September 26.
Our panel tomorrow is noteworthy because in some sense, it may be the closest we come to having an actual science debate during this campaign season--as I explain in my latest Science Progress column.
I'm very glad that Obama and McCain answered ScienceDebate2008's questions. I don't think it's nearly enough, though. And furthermore, the fact that we couldn't put something so…
sheril | September 15, 2008
On August 30, we reported that Senator Barack Obama responded to ScienceDebate2008 and this morning we can announce Senator John McCain has as well.
The Senator from Arizona provided a glimpse into what the McCain-Palin administration would look like. Read his first answer below and all fourteen on our website. A side-by-side comparison of Obama and McCain is available here.
1. Innovation. Science and technology have been responsible for half of the growth of the American economy since WWII. But several recent reports question America's continued leadership in these vital areas. What…
sheril | September 2, 2008by Philip H.
DISCLAIMER - The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author alone. They do NOT represent the official opinion, policy, or action of any governmental agency the author may work for or have ever worked for at the county, state or federal level. If you do not like the content or opinions, contact the author, not your Congressmen.
In my last post for the Intersection, I mentioned the Office of Technology Assessment and its place in the history of communicating science to Congress. I also asked the questions as to whether, in the increasingly complex Information…
sheril | September 2, 2008
Looks like my favorite Republican is crossing the party divide this election...
Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, ousted after nine terms in a bitter Republican primary campaign last winter, will cross party lines today to endorse Democrat Frank M. Kratovil Jr. in the 1st Congressional District.
Read more here.
sheril | August 30, 2008
In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a philosopher, and Chris and I - began working to restore science and innovation to America's political dialogue in an initiative called ScienceDebate2008. Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other concerned Americans signed on, including nearly every major American science organization, dozens of Nobel laureates, elected officials and business leaders, and the presidents of over 100 major American universities. Signers submitted over 3,400 questions and we worked with the leading…
cmooney | August 27, 2008In my latest Science Progress column, contemplating declining funding levels for university-based scientific research, I ask where science stands in America today. The answer, not surprisingly, is complicated--but also worrisome.
On the one hand, people really respect scientists. But on the other, the appreciation appears to be only skin deep--there isn't the sort of engagement that would really allows them to draw upon science to better their own lives in all aspects. As I put it in one passage:
...consider a very important question for most people: Where should I buy a home? Amid the…
sheril | August 27, 2008originally published December 10, 2007 by Chris C. Mooney
So, finally, Sheril and I can tell you what we've been working on.
Let's begin with some background: Nearly a month ago, I linked up with Matthew Chapman, the author, screenwriter, and great grandson of Charles Darwin. Chapman, I already knew, had a great idea that I wanted to write about in my forthcoming Seed column: A call for a debate among the current crop of presidential candidates solely devoted to issues in science and technology.
One thing led to another, and before long--along with many others, including Sheril (whose…
sheril | August 22, 2008
So what do readers think?
*Update: For an extremely interesting analysis, visit Nate Silver.*
sheril | August 15, 2008by Philip H.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are those of the author. They do not represent the opinion, policy or administrative decisions of any county, state or federal agency for which the author works or may have worked. In other words, if you don't like these opinions, contact the author, not your Congressmen.
There is a recent report out from the Keystone Center. Titled "Science and Technology Policy in Congress," the report was produced in conjunction with the Consensus Building Institute. And, with all of the House of Representatives and 1/3 rd of the Senate up for…
sheril | August 8, 2008by Philip H.
DISCLAIMER - The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author alone. They do NOT represent the official opinion, policy, or action of any governmental agency the author may work for or have ever worked for at the county, state or federal level. If you do not like the content or opinions, contact the author, not your Congressmen.
On Wednesday 6 August 2008, the FBI and Justice Department briefed the world on the conclusions of its anthrax investigation. This particular sleuthing began in the shadow of 9/11, when anthrax laced letters were found on Capitol Hill…
sheril | August 1, 2008
This spring, to draw humorous attention to the serious issue of political interference in science, we offered Union of Concerned Scientists supporters the chance to enter Science Idol: the Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest.
Which of the 12 finalists is your favorite? Vote by Friday, August 8, 2008!