Lecture on Obama's climate policy

An announcement from Professor Gaskill...

Speaker: David W. Orr, PhD, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, Oberlin College

Title: Some Like it Hot... Lots More Don't: Climate Policy with the Obama Administration

Location: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, Activity Center Great Room

Date: January 24, 2009 3 pm, reception following lecture.

Ticket Price: Member: $25 Non-Member: $30

Special Offer for Eckerd College Faculty and Students: $10

Second candidate answers ScienceDebate 14

Science Debate 2008 sent out a press release this morning after Republican candidate John McCain answered the 14 questions on science policy posed by the group. I posted last week that Democratic candidate Barack Obama had posted his answers. A side-by-side comparison is now available: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42

Candidate answers Science Debate questions

Back in December, I blogged about a group Science Debate 2008, who encouraged debate about the primary candidates regarding science policy. Although a televised debate sponsored by this group did not occur during the primaries, the group continues to demand answers from the candidates. A list of 14 questions was culled from 3,400 submitted by some of the tens of thousands of members. Democratic candidate Barack Obama has submitted answers to these questions, and Republican candidate John McCain has vowed to do so as well. To read more about the process and Obama's answers, visit the following link: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=40

Science and the presidential election

Members of the scientific community likely have concerns that should be important to all U.S. citizens as the election nears. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has created a guide for Science and Technology in the Presidential Election. Each of the major party candidates, as well as some lesser known candidates and former candidates, are profiled, using their campaign Web sites and other news sources as noted. Issues are covered in xx categories:

• Competitiveness and Innovation
• STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Education and Workforce
• Better Health for Americans
• Energy and Environment
• National and Homeland Security

Full-text reports are available as well as links to relevant news stories. In addition, this guide is a portal to additional resources provided by a number of organizations.

Make 2009 a Year of Science

Polls indicate that national scientific literacy is low in the United States. In an effort to engage and teach the public about scientific activities and research, the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) was formed between universities and colleges, scientific organizations, businesses, media, and museums and libraries. The group is planning the 2009 Year of Science showcase as part of their effort.

Local participants include the Science Center of Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Environmental Land Division. Some planned activities for the year include the following:

• AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
• Cafe Scientifique
• Darwin Day
• Launch of the Understanding Science Web site

COPUS is looking for more participants and events to make this a real national occasion. I think it would be excellent if NAS registers any events that they have planned, and perhaps even plan some events in conjunction with other local participants.

AAAS joins call for science debate

In December, I wrote about a citizens' movement to call for a science debate between presidential candidates. Since then, the movement for Science Debate 2008 has grown to tens of thousands of supporters including Nobel laureates and Congressmen. Last week, the American Association for the Advancement of Science joined the chorus of supporters. Click here for a press release. With the new policy (love it or hate it) that requires researchers with NIH grants to place their research in PubMed, Eckerd scientists and students should realize the impact of politics on science.

And for those faculty and student registered in Florida, don't forget that tomorrow is the primary!

NIH to require open access

This news is somewhat old, but I still wanted to share this with the Eckerd community for those who might not have heard. The omnibus bill signed by President Bush on December 26, 2007, included a provision in which National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers will be required to send their published research to PubMed within a year of publication. To read more about this requirement, see the BioMed Central blog post, which includes the NIH text of its policy and links to a public forum on the issue:

BioMed Central Blog

Also, here is an article from the Seattle Times.

Science Debate 2008

A group of concerned scientists, who saw a lack of scientific questions posed to the presidential hopefuls, formed a coalition calling for a debate on issues related to

• environment
• health and medicine
• science and technology policy

Dr. Lawrence Krauss, professor of physics and astronomy at Case Western Reserve University and chair of the Physics Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, published an explanatory Op-Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, regarding the need for presidential debate on these topics.

Considering the impact the presidency can have policy in science (just a few examples), it seems prudent to learn presidential candidates knowledge and opinions on science:
Vergano, D. (2007.) Science vs. politics gets down and dirty. USA Today
Howden, D. (2007). No Blair! America's Parting Gift to Britain's PM. The Independent.
Rosenberg, D. (2002). The Battle over Abstinence. Newsweek.