From the white house this morning: “Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.” – President Barack Obama
Here’s the just released Presidential Memorandum on Scientific Integrity
Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration on a wide range of issues, including improvement of public health, protection of the environment, increased efficiency in the use of energy and other resources, mitigation of the threat of climate change, and protection of national security.
The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions. Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions. If scientific and technological information is developed and used by the Federal Government, it should ordinarily be made available to the public. To the extent permitted by law, there should be transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific and technological information in policymaking. The selection of scientists and technology professionals for positions in the executive branch should be based on their scientific and technological knowledge, credentials, experience, and integrity…
Read the whole thing here.
It’s hard to overstate the degree to which this statement is a departure from the last eight years.
March 9th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I don’t understand why president always only indulge himself with daydreams and fine words. Enough! Tommorrow only lies in working hard little by little, not in someone’s lofty aspirations. The whole task can’t be accomplished at one stroke. Maybe he only cares about his fame on the throne, and he bets his success at the cost of our state.
Also, I feel the new era is coming, when our nation doesn’t have to be, and can’t be the leader of the world. We are not the supremacy, but indeed the cooperator and sharer in this planet for the sake of human’s better future.
March 9th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I think it’s time that America’s (I guess Obama meant the USA) place is restored to one of the backwards overly religious country that it is, after the brief episode where it got rich after coming out of WWII unscathed while reaping all the benefits. It’s real shame that such a barbaric place as the USA still tries to keep the lead in science, just because it has so much money that not all of it can be spent on sports and hamburgers. You can keep the junk food and the movies, but please, let’s give science back to the progressive countries, shall we?
March 9th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Thanks for posting the link to the whole memo, Risa.
Reality-based thinkers are back in charge.
March 9th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I wonder though.. will this hold true if science were to find things that are politically unacceptable, say an over estimation of global warming or findings that the current models are less than what their proponents claim? Can it work in reverse once things have become deeply political?
I pick global warming as its arguably the most politicized ‘result’ of science out there today. Beyond the academic world (which has seen huge increases in funding), there are many in industry and finance licking their chop$ to get in on a piece of the action. Right now its in virtualy nobody’s interest (that is in any power) to have climate change by man caused global warming proven less than apocolyptic.
Science is a process, not an absolute. As time goes by we refine theories as new information comes to us. Sometimes this even invalidates what were previously widely held views that were based on experimental data (ie, weak neutral currents) when new techniques and theory give shocking evidence that, no we were wrong!
March 9th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
It’s nice to have a change in tone from previous years, but it’s only potential if he can’t follow through. Not that he won’t try to follow through, but he seems to be unwilling at this point to shoulder his way past the people that would block progress. It looks like a little too much optimism in people and belief in good will to me.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I hope he follows this advice when making an “informed” decision on Nuclear Missile Defense.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:13 am
I guess replacing a legitimate physicist (past President of SUNY Stony Brook and head of BNL) as science advisor with a lefty, enviro freak ideologue is just the first step in this brave new world of scientific integrity. Egads.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I hope the rest of the nation doesn’t feel the way most of the posters on this page seem to feel. We’re not going to get anywhere with such negative attitudes. I’m not one to blindly follow political leaders, but at least Obama’s trying to motivate the people a little. Damn, people, give the guy a break.
March 10th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
“Science will prevail!” When all of this comes to fruition science will prevail, they may give Obama the credit in the future but we will all know who adapted and overcame. It will be the men and women out there doing the jobs, not those bureaucrats. The ideas are out there, the challenge is the same; (No Money) to pay for these ideas to come to life! If Obama’s empty words don’t help, maybe just maybe him bringing attention of the issues regardless of content to the masses might help the arguous plight of science (thinking without knowing). Fear not fellow hero’s! And to echo Optimist, lighten up! It could be worse. . . I mean the LHC could be broken or something, now that would be bad!
March 19th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Hi Risa,
Can you give us some examples how your personal research (or those that you know) was adversely
affected in the last eight years?
Slawomir Piatek