SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Speaking Up for Science
The time has come for scientists to stand up and communicate to policymakers the reasons why science helps Americans live safer, healthier, and more productive lives.
Transition Team Deploys Its First Public Web 2.0 Tools
The servers are obviously having a tough time handling the traffic load (I’ve gotten a few errors throughout the day), but President-elect Obama’s transition project has already hit the ground running with a box of web 2.0 tools to organize the next administration at change.gov.
BIOTECHNOLOGY
An Emerging Consensus
The international community is developing policies that support embryonic stem cell research and embryo screening for medical purposes, but oppose human reproductive cloning, embryo screening for non-medical purposes, and genetic “enhancement.”
Victory for Stem Cells in Michigan
Yesterday, Michigan voters amended the state constitution to allow Michigan’s scientists to derive human embryonic stem cells without fear of criminal prosecution. The amendment will allow fertility patients to donate excess embryos from IVF clinics, a practice which up until now was illegal in Michigan.
SCIENCE, CULTURED
Science Under Obama
There’s much for scientists to like about Barack Obama’s plans for science policy—but will he make it a priority, and what about the money?
White Open Spaces
While all eyes are on the presidential election today, the five-member Federal Communications Commission will cast its own momentous vote on whether to open up “white spaces” for general use. White spaces are unused sections of the analog television broadcast spectrum–the space between channels. Once the transition to digital TV is completed in February, the FCC will keep about 49 TV channels of the spectrum active.
Historical Election Maps and Open Mapping Research
Open access publishing is great, but what if you can’t capture your research in words? Over at the Chronicle’s Wired Campus blog, Jeffery Young reports that in order to expand the reach and accessibility of their historical elections mapping project, digital historians at the University of Richmond moved their data from an in-house system to two platforms familiar to many web surfers: Google Maps and Google Earth.
BIOETHICS
Personal Medicine, Public Bioethics
Advances in biotechnology are entering everyday life at an accelerating pace. But biotech isn’t something to fear. What the next president and the American public needs is smart bioethical advice from a National Bioethics Advisory Council.
Scary Regulatory Maneuvers in Bush’s Last Days
In the waning days of the Bush administration, there’s a final rush to implement a slate of polluter-friendly rules, as The Washington Post reported on Halloween.
WEISS'S NOTEBOOK
Lather, Rinse, Protect
Keeping hands clean—literally and figuratively—saves money and lives. The point is worth considering as the country closes the door on an era of regulatory slumber and considers anew how to get people and institutions to behave in more socially responsible ways.
INTERNET
The Oval Office Facebook Group
The next transition team must make the most of modern information and communications technology to shape, coordinate, and run the process of moving the next president into office. Here are some suggestions on how that can work.
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What We Work On
Science, Innovation, and Competitiveness
Science Progress and American Progress's Doing What Works project teamed up to produce a set of policy proposals that the Obama administration and Congress can adopt to reinvest in the building blocks of American science, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Read the overview of the five reports.
What We Believe
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good. Scientific inquiry entails global responsibilities. It should lead to a more equitable, safer, and healthier future for all of humankind.