Obama Likes Research

By Janet RaloffWeb edition : Saturday, August 30th, 2008   (Science News)

Kudos to the Science Debate 2008 team for relentlessly dogging the candidates to weigh in with details about where they stand on issues affecting and affected by research. After roughly the gestation of a human baby, the Obama campaign — and John McCain's — agreed to answer questions, if only in writing. To date, Obama's is the only one to respond. It turned in its responses on Thursday evening, as the the Democratic Convention wrapped up in Denver. This afternoon, the Science Debate organizers shared those answers.

And those responses offer some reassuring words. They indicate Obama would make heavy use of research in decision-making. Another promising sign, the candidate brags that he has "established an impressive team of science advisors, including several Nobel Laureates, who are helping me to shape a robust science agenda for my administration." He doesn't identify who this brain trust consists of, but I'm hoping the names emerge prior to the elections.


If he makes it to the White House, Obama plans to surround himself with appointees — senior management in his administration — that have "strong science and technology backgrounds and unquestioned reputations for integrity and objectivity." He vowed that these positions would be filled promptly and on a non-partisan basis.


In addition, he would strengthen the role of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). He doesn't explain what "strengthen" means — i.e. acquire advisors that are more knowledgeable or simply employ their expertise more widely to inform federal decision-making.


But in light of recent reports of muzzled scientists — and their findings — Obama's statement on restoring scientific integrity and transparency to federal decision-making is probably even more welcome. True, it should have been a given that scientists could report data and expect that it would be respected, especially by regulators. Unfortunately, it hasn't been in a number of agencies, especially EPA.


Obama now pledges he would issue an Executive Order "establishing clear guidelines for the review and release of government publications, guaranteeing that results are released in a timely manner and not distorted by the ideological biases of political appointees." He also promises to strengthen protection for whistle blowers who report efforts to subvert this policy.


The Democratic candidate also has welcome words about increasing the cadre of U.S. workers who are science literate, even science experts. First step: Get good teachers.


Higher education has not been prized by the Bush Administration, at least to the extent of offering support and good incentives — carrots, if you will — to recruit and motivate science and math teachers. Sen. Barack Obama told the Science Debate team that: "My administration will work to guarantee to students access to strong science curriculum at all grade levels so they graduate knowing how science works [emphasis added] using hands-on, IT-enhanced education."

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