science policy

It’s easier to keep tabs on and inform potential candidates on science

American voters concerned about the state of U.S. science have new online resources to help them track the opinions and actions of candidates running for national office. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), of which ASA is an affiliate member, has partnered with the Association of American Universities and the Richard Lounsbery Foundation to initiate a website (see election2008.aaas.org) devoted to science and technology (S&T) in the 2008 presidential campaign. It highlights candidates’ positions on major S&T matters and provides related news stories; survey information; white papers and other policy reports; election calendars; and a listserv to receive updates. For more information, contact the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Congress www.aaas.org/spp/. Similarly, Research!America (of which ASA is a member) allows citizens to inform candidates of their concerns about health and research at www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) launched Science Health and Related Policies (SHARP) Network (sharp.sefora.org), a wiki-based system that allows tracking of elected officials’ positions on critical science and health issues. SHARP includes a webpage for every U.S. senator, congressman, and presidential candidate as well as information on key science and health issues and Senate and House committees. Registered site visitors can add factual information about their congressman’s actions or statements on specific issues. In addition, a SEA blog (sefora.org) will chronicle news and information on science and health issues as well as the opinions of SEA members and provide an opportunity for discussion and opinion pieces by leading authorities. The purpose is to encourage scientists, engineers, and concerned citizens to be involved in the political debate and be a resource for candidates and policymakers. Finally, the secular humanist organization, the Center for Inquiry, has a similar appeal at www.centerforinquiry.net.

U.S. competitive advantage is slipping

The rate of growth in academy-based basic research and development (R&D) support is tapering off in the United States, leading some in the science community to maintain that we are falling precariously behind other nations on various indices of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) support. An overwhelming amount of detail on this and other trends in STEM is covered in the National Science Foundation’s recently released Science and Engineering Indicators 2008. This biennial tome spells out in detail the range of U.S. and foreign R&D expenditures/investments, public science literacy, academic achievement, and general educational statistics (e.g., PhDs awarded). Increased public and private investments in STEM, which are the engines of our nation’s competitive advantage, as well as better tracking of our research enterprise, are urged in the report. See www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/?govDel=USNSF_124.

U.S. Census has a new director

With the nation’s Census Bureau preparing for the 2010 decennial census, many concerned about the fate of this important tabulation of the country’s population have anxiously awaited a Senate decision on the replacement of longtime Census chief, Louis Kincannon (see January and July/August 2007, Footnotes, p. 3, Public Affairs Update). In December, the Senate approved the Bush administration’s nominee, demographer Steven H. Murdock, to be the next director of the Bureau. Kincannon had announced his resignation late in 2006 but vowed to stay on until a replacement was confirmed. Murdock, a democrat, is Chairman of Demography and Organization Studies at the University of Texas-San Antonio and the Director of the Texas State Data Center. He was Texas’s chief expert on Census issues for the 1980, 1990, and 2000 censuses. In a hearing by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to take up the president’s nomination of Murdock, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced Murdock, expressing confidence in the demographer. Hutchison’s kind words for this sociologist/ demographer surprised some, given her 2006 attack on the National Science Foundation’s support of social science research. Murdock has advised Texas governors, Lieutenant Governors, and Texas Speakers from both parties on the importance of Census participation and the uses of the economic, demographic, and social data. Murdock has decades of research and leadership experience in related organizations. Among other key points, Murdock promised to do the best possible job to ensure accuracy in the decennial census, a reference to past problems with both under- and over-counts.

Bruce Alberts is named editor of Science