CLIMATE SCIENCE
A group of Australian scientists have published an uncharacteristically blunt letter reiterating yet again that the public debate about climate science is “phony.” It’s real, it’s here, and its time to suck it up and deal.
SCIENCE EDUCATION
The convergence of interests of evolution and climate change deniers signals a new chapter in the politicization of science.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a bill this week that would to overturn the findings of the EPA, the National Academies, and the Supreme Court. Their reason? An online poll told them to.
CLIMATE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Can making data more transparent help quell the popular misunderstandings of climate science?
EDUCATION
While touting the goals of competitiveness and job creation, the “Pledge to America” ignores innovation and education as systemic prerequisites for sustainable economic growth.
Science Communication
Despite Fox News’s attempts to stir up controversy over the terminology of global warming, academics have been touting the more accurate term “global climate disruption” for years.
SCIENCE, CULTURED
Get ready for regular discussions of science all year long—in the policy arena and the broader culture. But what are we hoping to gain from this effort, and how will we know if we learn anything at all?
SCIENCE, CULTURED
The news that CNN is eliminating its science reporting team is just the latest blow to mainstream science journalism. But an informed democracy needs good coverage of issues that touch virtually every aspect of our lives.
SCIENCE, CULTURED
The Science and Entertainment Exchange is a new departure for the scientific community, but precisely the sort of outreach measure that can help it better connect with our broader society.
COMMUNICATING SCIENCE
The processes of decision making in science policy requires public engagement, participation, and broad-based deliberations. Multicriteria Mapping is a way to ensure the reasoning behind choices made are transparent and well understood.
CLIMATE
Randy Olson’s new global warming mockumentary, Sizzle, burns into your mind a lesson about how to reach broader audiences with science.
COMMUNICATING SCIENCE
Sure, it would be nice if we could better educate members of Congress about science. But why not go further by electing more scientists in the first place—and training unelected Ph.D.s in the politics of influence?
Last Friday, Science Progress kicked off the launch of its inaugural print edition with a gathering of distinguished science policy experts.
Last week Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) spoke to students about his efforts to facilitate discussions between Congress and top scientists. To make informed policy decisions about scientific issues such as stem cell research, nuclear energy, and global climate change, lawmakers need better scientific advice than what they’re currently receiving.
The Associated Press quickly picked up on a report released yesterday by the Union of Concerned Scientists revealing that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists who responded to an online survey indicated that they experienced political interference with their work at some point in the last five years.
TECHNOLOGY & THE LAW
The “markets” for scholarly works are changing, and scholars in the humanities and social sciences – and the institutions where they work – need to both take control of how their works are published and distributed and become much more actively involved in setting the terms for the digital publishing world.
A quick look at some of the policy-related posts in the science and technology blogosphere: suggestions for best practices in science blogging; the need for more hurricane research; vaccines and public fears; and new research centers to study parallel computing.
“It is much easier to say we need more scientists and engineers than to talk about equity issues,” explained David Goldston yesterday at an Urban Institute on science and engineering education, quality, and workforce demand.
October 4 marked the 50th anniversary of Sputnik, and as we leave that milestone behind, 21st-century America needs to prepare for the century of science and engineering. One pathway is adoption of a new National Defense Education Act.
Andrew A. Rosenberg on how “emphasizing what we don’t know often drowns out what we do know.” Also, a new Urban Institute study claims that the U.S. has more than enough scientists and engineers.
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.
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.