Episode 25 – Science in its Rightful Place

 

We welcome Jodi Peterson to the show this week.  Jodi serves as the Assistant Executive Director for the NSTA Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, and talks to us about what we might see for science and science education with the Obama administration.

Make sure to tell us what you think about Science in its Rightful Place. Comment below, and participate in Seed Magazine’s discussion (see below).

“The Search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us” from change.gov

Obama Weekly Radio Address on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (video).

The Administration is still working with Congress to refine the plan, but in the address, President Obama lays out the key priorities. He goes into detail, noting that the plan will update our electric grid by laying more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines; weatherize 2.5 million homes; protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans in danger of losing their coverage; secure 90 major ports; renovate 10,000 schools; and triple the number of science fellowships.   [Link]

Seed Magazine’s “What is Science’s Rightful Place” Discussion

In his first speech as President-elect last November, Barack Obama reminded us of the promise of “a world connected by our own science and imagination.” And on Tuesday, in his inaugural address, President Obama cemented his commitment to a new ethos and culture by vowing to “restore science to its rightful place.”

At Seed, we are firmly committed to President Obama’s vision and want to help make it a reality. We begin today by asking you, our friends and colleagues in science, and outside science, to respond to the President’s idea of a “rightful place” for science. What is science’s rightful place?

Restoring science to its rightful place in government and in wider society will be no simple task; it will demand fresh ideas, the engagement of America’s scientists and engineers, and the collaboration of other cultural and social institutions.

On Tuesday we bore witness to a milestone with multiple facets: the victory of racial equality, the demise of anti-intellectualism, the triumph of hope over fear, and the evolution of democracy itself. Today we also entered a new era of curiosity, open inquiry, and hard work in pursuit of something bigger than each of us. History will call this the birth of our scientific renaissance.

We invite you to share your thoughts and comments on the rightful place of science. Send text, audio, video, image to responses@rightfulplace.org or join the conversation on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rightful-Place-Project/46391575761

 

Direct download: LOL25.mp3

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