Bioscope ‘08

by  Dr. Barbara Price

Back from the brink of Intelligent Design and the misrepresentation of science.

          With the change in Presidents in the US, we will also get a change in the role and influence of science and technology. Bush's Science Advisor, John Marburger III, was appointed late and not included in many decisions, which were often based on ideology rather than science, even government supported science. It was so bad that in 2004, several thousand scientists and science organizations, which included 48 Nobel Prize winners, signed a statement charging that Bush's administration misused and distorted science and reports.

          Last week President-elect Obama gave his view on science. "It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient-especially when it's inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States-and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work." The emphasis on energy, environment and climate change could not be clearer than with the appointments and nominees already announced. Bush had tried to restrict stem cell research; Obama will change that attitude with appointments of renown biologists, but the various laws enacted by several states will take longer to undo.

          President-Elect Obama has already appointed a President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology or PCAST. These include:

• Dr. John Holdren, from Woods Hole Research Center and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, a leader in climate and energy, as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
  
• Dr. Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize Winner for cancer research, Clinton's Director of the National Institutes of Health, and advocate for open access publishing.
  
• Dr. Eric Lander, Founding Director of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard, a driving force behind the human genome project.

          Other notable science nominees include Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu, a Noble Prize Winner in physics, who directs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Dr. Jane Lubchenco as Administrator of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an internationally known environmental scientist and ecologist, Lisa Jackson as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Nancy Sutley as the Chair of the President's Council on Environmental Quality, and Carol Browner to a new White House post to coordinate energy and climate policy.

          We look forward to the improved atmosphere for science education, research and application.

For the Professional in Government and Industry with an interest in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense, Disarmament and Verification; Emergency and Disaster Medical Planning; Industrial Health and Safety; and Environmental Protection