tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post5735727441367722603..comments2024-03-25T02:02:15.771-04:00Comments on It's Not a Lecture: Science has a politics problemUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-57290667526112568372011-09-10T19:25:00.290-04:002011-09-10T19:25:00.290-04:00Consider applying for a AAAS Science Policy Fellow...Consider applying for a AAAS Science Policy Fellowship:<br /><br />http://fellowships.aaas.org/<br /><br />A previous post-doc from my lab is doing one and is learning a lot about science policy and how to improve it. <br /><br />ScienceGeekAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-23699024260929191312011-09-07T17:54:13.539-04:002011-09-07T17:54:13.539-04:00I agree totally with tmbtx. It is great to say tha...I agree totally with tmbtx. It is great to say that "we need to have more lobbyists that care about science". but pragmatically what can we actually DO?Gerty-Zhttp://scientopia.org/blogs/gertyznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-67599439100036042522011-09-07T14:17:29.633-04:002011-09-07T14:17:29.633-04:00So who's going to volunteer to drop their scie...So who's going to volunteer to drop their scientific endeavors to craft a strategy to advance an agenda?<br /><br />crickets chirping...<br /><br />Is there anyone aside from AAAS? Who does it now? Maybe you can augment this blog post with some links to job openings in science and public policy. I'd be tempted, but I wouldn't know the first place to look for this kind of work.tmbtxhttp://www.twitter.com/tmbtxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-2024622494045505362011-09-07T14:07:37.730-04:002011-09-07T14:07:37.730-04:00tmbtx, it's not that there's a "scien...tmbtx, it's not that there's a "science and math are hard" camp, it's that science and math are ACTUALLY HARD. That's why the only people who do them well tend to be really smart. ;)<br /><br />As for coming off as elitist, that's a communications issue. For example, Bill Clinton is a brilliant man, but he doesn't come off as elitist. <br /><br />As for paying teachers a reasonable wage, to me that's just common sense and long overdue.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09682509785920799019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-37425220798529779172011-09-07T14:03:36.241-04:002011-09-07T14:03:36.241-04:00Gerty, your challenges are essentially the same as...Gerty, your challenges are essentially the same as any working person trying to make ends meet. Small business owners may not be running a lab, but they have similar demands on their time in terms of developing products, selling, etc. Nobody has time. <br /><br />The organizations that claim to represent you are totally overmatched by industrial PAC's. There's "big oil," "big pharma," "too-big-to-fail banks," agriculture interests, and so on. AAAS, for example, doesn't invest a tenth of what these groups do in politics or political communication. Most of other groups that want to advocate are either 501(c)3 corporations that are restricted from lobbying or just staffed with people who don't have a lot of experience. <br /><br />Most importantly there's no STRATEGY that outlines priorities and goals, and no entity that can implement it with discipline over time. That's where you have to start.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09682509785920799019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-29061277197020982302011-09-07T13:56:06.520-04:002011-09-07T13:56:06.520-04:00I think the politics problem is a symptom of a cul...I think the politics problem is a symptom of a cultural problem. The majority of Americans tend to be in the "science and math are hard" camp. This, combined with a view that scientists come across as "elitist" and you have an environment that's ripe for bad politics.<br /><br />And let's face it, we're not very good at communicating to non-scientists. I try, but I don't do it very well. Who do we have as a communicator lately aside from Bill Nye? Creationist-bashers don't count as communicators.<br /><br />A third point would be the state of public education. We're not going to get great science teachers by offering teachers $25k starting salaries. This leads to a continuous cycle of very poor public understanding. I can still remember my 5th grade teacher telling us to go visit the Redwood forests before California fell into the ocean.tmbtxhttp://www.twitter.com/tmbtxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2066523326381482793.post-88133595602642124052011-09-07T13:05:00.540-04:002011-09-07T13:05:00.540-04:00As a scientist, I totally agree with you that we h...As a scientist, I totally agree with you that we have a problem with politics. The question is what can we do about it? Yes, it would be great if more scientists could be engaged with their politicians. But right now it is hard enough to keep a lab going, especially as a new PI. Funding sucks (another thing that might be different if we had more political clout) and my day is already pretty full with trying to startup my research program.<br /><br />I guess it just seems to me that we are always complaining about our "politics problems" but I don't know what to do about it. I support AAAS and even give them money, and I call my elected officials when something catches my attention. What am I missing?Gerty-Zhttp://scientopia.org/blogs/gertyznoreply@blogger.com