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President Obama: A Great New Hope For Science

by November 5, 2008 2 Comments
"A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination."
- Barack Obama, November 4, 2008
By Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
Votes have been cast and the winner declared in the 2008 presidential election, and as a result, many anticipate a new golden age for American science. The scientific community rallied behind Obama as never before, and an unprecedented number of Nobel Laureates formally endorsed the Democratic nominee. That's because Obama has already indicated, by speech and by action, that he intends to elevate research and innovation to a position of far greater authority and influence than his predecessor, George W. Bush. Obama's answers to the fourteen questions posed by ScienceDebate2008 garnered praise across the nation, and throughout academia. Now President-elect, he has pledged to appoint a science advisor early on, and take scientific advice seriously throughout his administration.
However, even with the best intentions, only diligence, cooperation, and most importantly, actual dollars can turn all of this good will into real action. President Obama will assume office as the nation faces an enormous economic crisis, and unprecedented budget deficits could place a serious strain on science agencies like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If funding for basic and applied research doesn't grow, we could sacrifice important new advances in medicine and human health, and beyond, and moreover, at a time when other nations are ramping up their scientific capacity.
Also dangerous, the nation must ready itself for the current president's last hurrah--as many as 90 egregious under-the-radar regulations from an openly anti-science administration. The result will be a litany assaults on science before Bush leaves the White House whose consequences may not be fully apparent for decades. However, we already know that the new rules would weaken our ability to protect our air, oceans, endangered species, and more.
So as many in the science community celebrate victory, remember that the road ahead will be very difficult, and that President Obama cannot save science alone. He needs an army of people behind him with the resolve to realize the change that they've already dared to dream. This requires a sustained lobbying effort, not just put forth by science community, but coming from concerned citizens across America who understand that our world remains connected by our own science and imagination.
    

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  • http:talkingscience.org Miriam Gordon

    I agree with you that Barack Obama will breathe life into the science and environmental enterprises in this country, and that we must all be involved to the extent that we can in order to support his efforts. The warmth with which President Bush began his post-election speech was followed by a chilling reminder that he will be doing everything he can to sabotage as many scientific and environmental efforts as possible. We need to pay close attention to whatever tricks he will be pulling in his last days in office, so that we may be as effective as possible in combating them. We must all try to prevent, as much as possible, the poison he will be injecting into future legislation. This will happen with awareness and by working with pro-science and environmental groups such as the NRDC and Center for Biological Diversity.

  • http://www.singularitytoday.com GSX

    Wow great read, thanks