Unburdening science.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)

I resonate fully with the spirit and content of Shawn Lawrence Otto and Sheril Kirshenbaum's "Science on the Campaign Trail" (Issues Winter 2009). Science Debate 2008 was an unprecedented event that garnered substantial public attention and helped the campaigns hone their own policies. Science Debate 2008 also mobilized an unprecedented focus by the scientific community on an election. Have 30,000 scientists ever lined up behind any other social or political effort?

The aftermath of the election has been tremendously encouraging. President Obama has said all the right things about the role of science in his administration and has delivered on a promise to surround himself with first-rate scientists. In my view, no administration has ever assembled such a highly qualified scientific brain trust. This group is clearly equal to the task of tackling the national priorities highlighted by Science Debate 2008, such as climate, energy, and biomedical research. Moreover, the economic stimulus package includes substantial investments in science, science infrastructure, and some, though I would argue not enough, investment in science education. The new administration and congressional leadership do seem to understand the role of science in solving societal problems, including the economy.

I am concerned, however, that amid all the euphoria we could lose sight of the need to attend to a group of science policies not discussed in the Science Debate 2008 list. These relate not to the use of science to inform broader national policies but to the conduct of science itself. The efficiency and effectiveness of scientific research, and its ability to contribute to national needs, are heavily affected by ...