Obama's science policy
Today, President Barack Obama gave a speech (audio version can be found here) to the National Academy of Sciences, the nation’s prestigious science advisors. The speech reaffirms his campaign promises regarding science policy (how refreshing that a politician actually follows up on promises made in the heat of the campaign) and follows up on his executive order to reverse George Bush’s ill-founded partial ban on stem-cell research. Below are a few key points of the speech that deserve repeating.
These statements were from two different parts of his speech, but they deserve to be discussed together. Investment in science is critical for the long-term economic growth, since most medical technologies result from basic or applied research. Without strong investment in science education, the US will lack enough trained researchers to maintain or even build leadership in these areas. It should be embarrassing to the country that we rank 21st in science.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened.
Right now, it appears that we are still at the stage of being prepared rather than actually dealing with an epidemic. I think there are many others who are giving sound and reasonable advice. Don’t panic is about as sage as I can get. Back to Obama’s speech. He’s absolutely right about public healthcare, “we cannot allow our nation to fall behind.”
On March 9th, I signed an executive memorandum with a clear message: Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over. Our progress as a nation – and our values as a nation – are rooted in free and open inquiry. To undermine scientific integrity is to undermine our democracy.
That is why I have charged the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy with leading a new effort to ensure that federal policies are based on the best and most unbiased scientific information. I want to be sure that facts are driving scientific decisions – and not the other way around.
Two sentences in his whole speech are the most important. Science should never take a back seat to ideology. The blocking of stem cell research and the ideological control of the FDA were not helpful to our leadership in the sciences.
It’s good to have a President willing to place a strategic effort in the sciences. There will be money for education, research, and programs that will have a long-term effect of building up the basic foundation of science in the US. The benefits will be immense.
By Michael W Simpson
At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science. That support for research is somehow a luxury at a moment defined by necessities. I fundamentally disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been. And if there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it’s today.
Federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of our gross domestic product has fallen by nearly half over the past quarter century. Time and again we’ve allowed the research and experimentation tax credit, which helps businesses grow and innovate, to lapse.
Our schools continue to trail. Our students are outperformed in math and science by their peers in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Korea, among others. Another assessment shows American fifteen year olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science when compared to nations around the world.
These statements were from two different parts of his speech, but they deserve to be discussed together. Investment in science is critical for the long-term economic growth, since most medical technologies result from basic or applied research. Without strong investment in science education, the US will lack enough trained researchers to maintain or even build leadership in these areas. It should be embarrassing to the country that we rank 21st in science.
We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. This is obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert. But it is not a cause for alarm. The Department of Health and Human Services hasdeclared a Public Health Emergency as a precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively. I’m getting regular updates on the situation from the responsible agencies, and the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Centers for Disease Control will be offering regular updates to the American people so that they know what steps are being taken and what steps they may need to take. But one thing is clear – our capacity to deal with a public health challenge of this sort rests heavily on the work of our scientific and medical community. And this is one more example of why we cannot allow our nation to fall behind.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened.
Right now, it appears that we are still at the stage of being prepared rather than actually dealing with an epidemic. I think there are many others who are giving sound and reasonable advice. Don’t panic is about as sage as I can get. Back to Obama’s speech. He’s absolutely right about public healthcare, “we cannot allow our nation to fall behind.”
That is why I have charged the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy with leading a new effort to ensure that federal policies are based on the best and most unbiased scientific information. I want to be sure that facts are driving scientific decisions – and not the other way around.
Two sentences in his whole speech are the most important. Science should never take a back seat to ideology. The blocking of stem cell research and the
It’s good to have a President willing to place a strategic effort in the sciences. There will be money for education, research, and programs that will have a long-term effect of building up the basic foundation of science in the US. The benefits will be immense.
By Michael W Simpson