ScienceDebate.org

ScienceDebate.org

ScienceDebate.org logo
Motto The most important discussion on earth
Purpose Ensure that the key science and technology issues that affect our lives get the attention they deserve, starting with a live, televised debate between the U.S. presidential nominees and expanding to important elections domestically and globally.
Key people

Matthew Chapman, Shawn Lawrence Otto, Lawrence Krauss, Chris Mooney, Sheril Kirshenbaum, Austin Dacey, Darlene Cavalier,

Michael Halpern
Website www.sciencedebate.org

ScienceDebate.org is a nonpartisan American nonprofit organization working to elevate the importance of science and technology in the national public dialogue through live, televised debates involving political candidates. Driven by the vital role that science and technology play in the health, environmental, and economic well-being of society, it strives to provide voters with sufficient and meaningful information on these key issues when electing people to serve in public office.

The organization has the support of 24 Nobel laureates; 172 leaders of premier scientific institutions; 108 university presidents and provosts; and 55 current/former presidents, CEOs and/or chairpersons of companies. Well-known signatories include: actors Johnny Depp and Mark Ruffalo, presidential science adviser John Holdren, former energy secretary Steven Chu, inventor Elon Musk, actor/producer David Schwimmer, and educator Bill Nye.[1][2]

History

Founding of ScienceDebate.org

In the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, the lack of discussion about science and technology issues caught the attention of film director and screenwriter Matthew Chapman.[3] Together with author, screenwriter and science advocate Shawn Lawrence Otto, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Lawrence Krauss, science journalist Chris Mooney, author and polling expert Sheril Kirshenbaum, and science philosopher Austin Dacey, Science Debate 2008 was created.[4][5][6] Shortly thereafter, Science Cheerleader founder Darlene Cavalier and science advocate Michael Halpern joined the team.[7]

Within weeks of its founding, people and organizations from across the political spectrum signed on directly.[8][9] This included prominent institutions such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the U.S. National Academies, as well as political movers ranging from John Podesta, President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff, on the left to Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker, on the right.[10][11] Collectively, by counting the members in the signatory organizations, ScienceDebate.org represents more than 125 million people.[12]

Science Debate in 2008

Throughout 2008, there were many calls for the candidates to participate in a science debate.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, then nominee Barack Obama agreed to participate in an online “debate.” He formed a science advisory team that included Harold Varmus to help him answer the questions.[20] Days later, Senator John McCain agreed to a “debate” in this format as well. The candidates’ answers to “The Fourteen Top Science Questions Facing America,” covering climate change, energy, health care, space, the environment, and the research drivers of economic competitiveness were published in Nature.[21][22][23][24][25] ScienceDebate.org's story and the candidates' responses made nearly a billion media impressions.[26]

Science Debate in 2012

In partnership with Scientific American, ScienceDebate.org got President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney to address fourteen questions on some of the biggest scientific and technological challenges facing the nation.[27][28] Scientific American, the group’s media partner in 2012, published the answers and rated them based on the current science.[29][30] The process of soliciting responses from the candidates and subsequent analysis of the answers was the subject of much conversation in the media during both the primaries[31][32][33][34][35] and general election.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]

Science Debate in 2016

For the 2016 election cycle, ScienceDebate.org is working toward a live, televised debate with the presidential nominees, and has signed with a major television network as a media partner.[48][49] As in past cycles, questions are being crowdsourced. Possible topics include: climate change and energy technologies;[50][51][52] medical research funding; population, development and the environment; robots and artificial intelligence; privacy and security on the Internet; brain research;[53] nuclear power, weapons, and waste; protecting fresh water in an age of declining aquifers; space exploration & colonization; STEM education; and science, technology, and the economy. Candidate Bernie Sanders has called for a debate on the environment,[54] while news outlets have called for clarity on politicians' stances on scientific issues.[55][56][57][58] Researchers are alarmed at current support for science,[59][60] and thought leaders including Dan Rather, Salon, The Washington Post, and others have decried candidates' disregard for science in their positions and statements.[61][62][63][64][65]

On October 8, 2015, ScienceDebate.org and Research!America commissioned a poll of American attitudes about science and politics. Conducted with 1,002 American adults of voting age, an overwhelming majority (87%) said it is important that candidates for President and Congress have a basic understanding of the science informing public policy issues, including majorities across the political spectrum (92% of Democrats, 90% of Republicans, and 79% of Independents). Americans also said the presidential candidates should participate in a debate to discuss key science-based challenges facing the United States, such as healthcare, climate change, energy, education, innovation and the economy (91% of Democrats, 88% of Republicans and 78% of Independents).[66] The poll prompted major news outlets to ask why the candidates aren't addressing science issues.[67][68][69][70][71]

On January 11, 2016, ScienceDebate.org released a PSA in which children ask the candidates for President to discuss various scientific issues including climate change, clean drinking water and the honey bee colony collapse problem. The video garnered significant media coverage, inspiring writers to echo the children's call for increased discussion of science.[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]

References

  1. ↑ "Science vs. science | The Scientist Magazine®". The Scientist. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  2. ↑ "Presidential Science". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  3. ↑ "A Call for a Presidential Debate on Science and Technology Policy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  4. ↑ Otto, Shawn Lawrence. "Let’s have a presidential debate on science". Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  5. ↑ "Commentary: A science-literate president, please". New Scientist. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  6. ↑ Krauss, Lawrence; Mooney, Chris (2007-12-12). "Make science part of the debate". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  7. ↑ "Making Science a Presidential Priority". BloombergView. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  8. ↑ "A Presidential Science Debate?". TierneyLab. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  9. ↑ "Voters Petition for Presidential Science Debate". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  10. ↑ "A New Topic for Debate". The Caucus. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  11. ↑ "ScienceDebate.org | The Science 57". www.sciencedebate.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  12. ↑ Kirshenbaum, Sheril R.; Mooney, Chris; Otto, Shawn Lawrence; Chapman, Matthew; Dacey, Austin; Holt, Rush; Krauss, Lawrence (2008-04-11). "Science and the Candidates". Science 320 (5873): 182–182. doi:10.1126/science.1158281. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 18403695.
  13. ↑ Krauss, Lawrence M. "Science and the Candidates". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  14. ↑ "Science Debate Is Set; Now, Will Candidates Come?". Dot Earth Blog. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  15. ↑ "Science Debate 2008: Candidates Invited". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  16. ↑ "No Democratic Science Debate, Yet". The Caucus. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  17. ↑ "Science Debate 2008 -- Take Two". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  18. ↑ "Candidates Talk Religion, Diss Science". ABC News. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  19. ↑ "A Presidential Science Debate". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  20. ↑ "Obama's brain trust". Science News. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  21. ↑ "ScienceDebate.org | Science Debate 2008: Obama vs McCain". www.sciencedebate.org. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  22. ↑ "Obama on Science". TierneyLab. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  23. ↑ "Where John McCain stands on science : News blog". blogs.nature.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  24. ↑ "Don't Know Much About Technology: McCain Tackles ScienceDebate Questions - Reality Base". Reality Base. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  25. ↑ Broad, William J. (2008-09-16). "Presidential Candidates’ Positions on Science Issues". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  26. ↑ Otto, Shawn Lawrence (2011-10-11). Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. Rodale. ISBN 9781609613204.
  27. ↑ "Obama and Romney Tackle 14 Top Science Questions". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  28. ↑ "Updated: Obama, Romney tackle science debate questions". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  29. ↑ "Obama and Romney Tackle 14 Top Science Questions". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  30. ↑ "Bring It: A Call for Candidates to Debate Science Policy". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  31. ↑ Tett, Gillian (2011-11-25). "Why doesn’t America like science?". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  32. ↑ "Where Do the Republican Candidates Stand on Science?". Reason.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  33. ↑ "Science Is Political | February 20, 2012 Issue - Vol. 90 Issue 8 | Chemical & Engineering News". cen.acs.org. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  34. ↑ "Americans Deserve a Presidential Science Debate". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  35. ↑ "Poll: science debates a voter priority". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  36. ↑ "What Do Obama and Romney Know about Science? And Why It Matters". blogs.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  37. ↑ "Paul Ryan's Record on Science and Government". news.sciencemag.org. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  38. ↑ "Obama and Romney Weigh in on Science Questions". Dot Earth Blog. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  39. ↑ Banerjee, Neela (2012-09-04). "Obama, Romney duel over climate change in online debate". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  40. ↑ Martinez, Jennifer. "Obama makes unexpected push for improved math and science education during final debate". TheHill. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  41. ↑ "Why we need a televised science debate". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  42. ↑ "The Science Debate | Washington University Political Review". Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  43. ↑ Times), By Karen Kaplan (Los Angeles. "Political science". thetimes-tribune.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  44. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (2012-11-12). "Obama’s Re-election Welcomed by Many Science Researchers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  45. ↑ "Science Debate 2012: Science in Public Policy | Notes From NAP". Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  46. ↑ Cooper, Jim; Leshner, Alan I. (2012-09-09). "It’s time to get serious about science". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  47. ↑ Krauss, Lawrence M. (2012-10-01). "With Limited Budgets, Pursuing Science Smartly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  48. ↑ "ScienceDebate Revs Up for 2016 Presidential Election". blogs.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  49. ↑ "Fox 5 NY News". WNYW. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  50. ↑ Gambino, Lauren; York, Tom McCarthy in New. "Hillary Clinton's green path to the White House: will she be 'careful' on climate change?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  51. ↑ "Presidential Science Debate 2016: Candidates Should Discuss Energy, Water Technology And Climate Change, Scientists Say". International Business Times. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  52. ↑ Kollipara, Puneet (2015-02-13). "Every politician should tell us what they think about evolution and climate change". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  53. ↑ "A Presidential Debate on Science: Mental Illness and the Human Dimensions of Science". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  54. ↑ "Bernie Sanders: ‘Environmentalists Deserve A Debate’". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  55. ↑ "How About a Science Debate?". Political Wire. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  56. ↑ "The G.O.P.’s War on Science Gets Worse". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  57. ↑ "Listen". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  58. ↑ Burleigh, Nina. "It's Time for Presidential Candidates to Talk About Science". Newsweek.
  59. ↑ "An Award-Winning Cancer Researcher Says U.S. Science Has Never Been More Imperiled". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  60. ↑ "Why the world needs more scientists". Vox. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  61. ↑ UTC, Dan Rather2015-09-23 16:57:30. "Ignoring science isn't a Republican problem. It's an American problem.". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  62. ↑ Isquith, Elias. "America’s vaccination nightmare: What Christie & Paul’s nonsense is really about". Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  63. ↑ Rucker, Philip; Helderman, Rosalind S. (2015-02-02). "Vaccination debate flares in GOP presidential race, alarming medical experts". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  64. ↑ York, Alan Yuhas in New. "How Republican presidential candidates are getting away with denying evolution". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  65. ↑ "Both liberals, conservatives can have science bias | News Room - The Ohio State University". news.osu.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  66. ↑ "ScienceDebate.org | 87% of Americans Say Candidates Should Have Basic Understanding of Science Informing Public Policy". www.sciencedebate.org. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  67. ↑ "Science Is Important, So Why Aren't Politicians Talking About It?". US News & World Report. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  68. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey. "Voters to Candidates: Know Your Science!". TIME.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  69. ↑ "Majority Think Candidates Should Understand Science". Wonk Wire. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  70. ↑ "Billionaire Steyer calls for more Democratic debates". POLITICO. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  71. ↑ "Republican Candidates Embrace Science!". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  72. ↑ "It's Time for a Presidential Debate on Science Policy". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  73. ↑ "Bustle". www.bustle.com. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  74. ↑ "What Do Kids Think About the Presidential Candidates? Watch.". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  75. ↑ "These kids want a science-themed presidential debate". Grist. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  76. ↑ "When Will the Presidential Candidates Talk About Science?". Law Street (TM). Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  77. ↑ "VIDEO: Watch These Kids Explain The Need For A Presidential Debate About Science". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  78. ↑ "Kids to Candidates: Debate Climate Science!". Common Dreams. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  79. ↑ "Why Do 75 Million Non-Voting Citizens Need Your Vote?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  80. ↑ "Kids ask US presidential candidates to debate science". The Guardian. 2016-01-14. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-01-15.

External links

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