Title: The Changing Climate for Science, Society and Public Policy
1The Changing Climate for Science, Society and
Public Policy
- World Science Forum
- November 11, 2005
2The climate is determined by
- Issues within science itself
- Government regulations, priorities and funding
- How the public relates to science
3Within science.
4Advances in science are coming at a very rapid
pace, in part because
- Big science has spread into new fields
- Increasing inter-dependency of sciences
- Advances in science are being fueled by advances
in technology
5The life sciences began doing big science
projects
6Human Genome Other
Species Genomes
7Genomes Proteomes
8Trends of the last decade
- Big science came to the life sciences
- All scientific fields are now clearly
inter-dependent - Diminishing amounts of disciplinary science
9The Leading Edge is Multidisciplinary
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11Sciences top 125 include
- What is the universe made of?
- What is the biological basis of consciousness?
- How and where did life on earth arise?
- What determines species diversity?
- What genetic changes made us uniquely human?
- How are memories stored and retrieved?
- How does Earths interior work?
- Are we alone in the Universe?
- How hot will the greenhouse world be?
12Advances in science are coming at a fantastic and
accelerating pace, in part because
- Big science has spread into new fields
- Increasing multi-disciplinarity of science
- Advances in science are being fueled by advances
in technology
13Technologies are enabling
- New kinds of science
- New questions
- New understanding
14Functional MRI of a normal subject
Anterior
Right
Ventral
R
L
Brocas area
posterior
Left
Parietal Cortex
L
SMA
R
Brocas area
Dorsal
L. Chang, M.D., T. Ernst, Ph.D., O. Speck,
Ph.D. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Generating words (left brain dominant)
Chang, et al.
15The context is set by
- Issues within science itself
- Government regulations, priorities and funding
16Post 9/11 Security Issues
- Ease of travel
- Travel to foreign meetings
- Visas for foreign students and colleagues
17Recent Changes in International Student Interest
in US SE Graduate Training
18Post 9/11 Security Issues
- Ease of travel
- New research priorities
19New research priorities
- Bioterrorism
- Transportation security
- Cybersecurity
- Safety of the food supply
These are affecting both funding and research
community behavior
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21Overall, research funding has become a lower US
national priority.
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24the committee is deeply concerned that the
scientific and technical building blocks of our
economic leadership are eroding at a time when
many other nations are gathering strength.
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26Measures of International Standing Authorship
Trends
27Federal policies can shift the lead in particular
scientific domains.
28Origin of Embryonic Stem Cell Papers
Source Levine, A., Politics and the Life
Sciences, Sept. 14, 2005.
29Recommendations
- Increase talent pool by improving k-12 science
and math education - Strengthen US commitment to long-term basic
researchto maintain the flow of new ideas that
fuel the economy, etc.
30The climate is determined by
- Issues within science itself
- Government regulations, priorities and funding
- How the public relates to science
31People generally still respect science and
technology.
32US publics view of scientific research
National Science Board, Science and Engineering
Indicators - 2002
33People still respect ST.
.but not everywhere in the same way or degree
34In Europe, the overall view of science has
deteriorated
- In 2005, 52 of people felt benefits of science
outweighed its risks vs. 61 in 1992 - Thats almost 20 percentage points below the US.
Eurobarometer 2005
35The American situation is not as good as it might
appear.
36People have little understanding of what is and
is not science
- 60 of Americans believe in extrasensory
perception - 41 think astrology is somewhat scientific
- 47 still do not answer true to the statement
Human beings developed from earlier species of
animals
Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004
37The science-society relationship is deteriorating
- Much more tension in the relationship
- A new dimension has been added to the publics
view of and behavior toward science and technology
38Historically, science and technology have been
evaluated primarily on the basis of their
costs/risks and benefits
39Now, values (and politics) are being overlaid
onto simple risk/benefit calculations
40We have seen values issues in the past
- Galileo, the earth and the sun
- Whether scientists should work on nuclear weapons
- Values (and political) issues are now very
present in our society
41One political (economic) example
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43Human values issues
- Cloning and stem cells
- Studying personal topics
- Sex
- Genetics of behavior
- Teaching intelligent design in science
classrooms
44Intelligent design claims to believe in gradual
change
- But a supernatural being guided the process
- Claims to be a scientific alternative to evolution
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47You have to admit that evolution theory is not
complete. Dutch Education Minister,
Maria Van der Hoeven, 2005
Not just an American issue
48Overlay of values is having serious consequences
for the whole science-society relationship
- Society wants to influence science
- Rather than just the reverse
- Creating a growing divide between science and the
rest of society
49Causes of the Great Divide
- Encroachment on/of values
- Misunderstandings about the word theory
- Theory has different meaning to scientists and
lay persons - Sciences assumption that scientific illiteracy
is the major obstacle
50We cannot just educate our way out of it
- The problem is not just lack of understanding
- People do understand much of what were saying or
want to do - They dont like it
- The conflict with their core values trumps their
view of societal benefits
51. science is valuable for telling us what we
need to know, whether we like the answer or
not.
Cong. Rush Holt, AAAS Carey Lecture, 2005
52What can we do?
- Continue protesting/lamenting the situation
- The problem is not going to go away
- Insanity is doing the same thing over and over
and expecting a different outcome
53What can we do?
- Continue protesting/lamenting the situation
- Adopt a more assertive strategy
- Engage with the public on the issues
- Try to find common ground
54Public
PublicUnderstanding
Engagement
55Monologue Dialogue
We need to change the intent and the style of the
conversation
56We need to hear from the public about
- Their concerns about science and technology and
their concomitants - Risks and benefits
- Encroachment on human values
- Their priorities among research areas
- Questions they would like or need us to answer
- Help frame the research agenda
57Go Glocal!
Julia Taguena Parga, 2005
58Some groups are working on it already
59Public engagement is now a concept we are hearing
in Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States
- It should be a strategy used throughout the world
60Formal dialogues in the United States
- NIH/NHGRIs Ethical, Legal and Social
Implications (ELSI) Program - AAASs Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion
- Johns Hopkins Univ. Genetics and Public Policy
Center
61AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science
and Technology
- Town meetings
- Topical public workshops
- Partnerships with science museum and centers
- Active outreach
- Clubs
- Lodges
- Religious institutions
62We need a global commitment to engagement!
63Only Working Together Can We Improve the
Relationship
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