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Georgia Ecologist Announces Candidacy for Senate

By voltagegate on June 11, 2007.

It's true. Ecosystem analyst Dr. Rand Knight is running for senate in Georgia:

From 2004 - 2006 Dr. Knight served as a Scientist for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and received a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Dr. Knight was part of a team that worked with the National Science Foundation and Congress to develop a continental-scale research platform for discovering, understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species in urban and wild ecosystems. Rand Knight is a member of the Ecological Society of America and the Society of American Foresters. Currently, Dr. Rand Knight is the Director of Enterprise Sales and Global Business Development at QL2.

Rand Knight, his wife of seven years, Linda, a Genetic Counselor at Emory University, and their daughter, Ellie Lu (2½ years Old), are expecting a baby boy in late-June, and currently live in Atlanta. Dr. Knight's combination of professional and academic experience as a both a scientist and business executive will bring a unique and critical environmental perspective to the United States Senate.

Gasp! His wife is a scientist too?

I agree with Madhu, this is definitely a race we should all be watching, and a good step for charismatic scientists who want to make a change in the world. Imagine a senator that doesn't need to be briefed about scientific issues, and understands the underlying complexities at hand. It's an encouraging thought.

Tip: Reconciliation Ecology

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ecology
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Keep us posted. Being a scientist (unfortunately) doesn't mean you have decent politics (by which I mean progressive politics; other's mileage may vary). I'd rather have a solid progressive I didn't have to brief on why national health care is a priority than one I didn't have to brief on why cold fusion might be a problematic investment.

New Jersey is lucky enough to already have a scientist in the Senate; Rush Holt. There are plenty of bumper stickers around here that say "My Senator IS a Rocket Scientist," and hopefully more science-savvy reps will be elected all over. Keep us informed!

Holy crap! That's amazing! Personally I don't care if the guy is progressive, or even a democrat, it's just fantastic that someone who understands the environment and science is running for high office in the south! Especially because we're starting to have all sorts of serious issues related to water resources, etc.