Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2007 APS March Meeting
Volume 52, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 5–9, 2007; Denver, Colorado
Session P7: Science Meets Policy: Careers and Advocacy |
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Sponsoring Units: FGSA Chair: Gavi Begtrup, University of California, Berkeley Room: Colorado Convention Center Korbel 4A-4B |
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 11:15AM - 11:51AM |
P7.00001: Becoming the Citizen Scientist: Opportunities and Challenges in Science Policy Invited Speaker: The methodologies, creativity and intellectual capacity of today's physicists are becoming more and more relevant in the world of policy and politics. Some issues such as climate change, alternative energy and avian influenza clearly reveal the relevance of scientific knowledge and research in policy. However, the connection between science and issues such as electronic voting, government earmarks and international cooperation are not as obvious, but the role of scientists in these topics and their effects on science itself are critical. As the world becomes increasingly technological and global, the need for the involvement of scientists in the political process grows. The traditional scientific training of physicists emphasizes intense scrutiny of specific physical phenomena in the natural world but often misses the opportunity to utilize trained scientific minds on some of society's greatest problems. I will discuss the many ways in which scientists can contribute to society far beyond the academic community and the unique opportunities science policy work offers to the socially conscious scientist or even those just looking to get more grant money. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 11:51AM - 12:27PM |
P7.00002: Fixing a Flat at the Noisy Intersection of Science and Politics Invited Speaker: Science is rarely a talent of Kings and governments. When King Solomon built his temple, he declared that pi = 3. Three thousand years later, in 1897, the Indiana State Legislature unanimously passed Public Law 246, making pi = 3.2. This talk will review some of the key factors that influence government decisions and then examine some of the issues that the American Physical Society has been engaged in, including confronting the Intelligent Design movement. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 12:27PM - 1:03PM |
P7.00003: Advising Students about Participating in the Science and Policy Interface Invited Speaker: This talk will first address general principles that I have found useful in guiding physics graduate students and post-docs in choosing options for their future careers. In this context, we discuss careers in science that are connected to society and careers in policy that affect science. Finally we discuss options for careers that involve both the pursuit of science and the involvement of science policy. The presentation will draw from my experience in mentoring graduate students and postdocs on these topics and from my own rewarding career which combined science and science policy. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 1:03PM - 1:39PM |
P7.00004: Connecting Science and Society: Basic Research in the Service of Social Objectives Invited Speaker: A flawed dichotomy of basic versus applied science (or of ``curiosity-driven'' vs. ``mission-oriented'' science) pervades today's thinking about science policy. This talk argues for the addition of a third mode of scientific research, called Jeffersonian science. Whereas basic science, as traditionally understood, is a quest for the unknown regardless of societal needs, and applied science is known science applied to known needs, Jeffersonian science is the quest for the unknown in the service of a known social need. It is research in an identified area of basic scientific ignorance that lies at the heart of a social problem. The talk discusses the conceptual foundations and then provides some case examples of Jeffersonian-type science initiatives, such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, initiated by Thomas Jefferson (which led us to call this mode of research Jeffersonian), research conducted under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health, and a science policy project by President Jimmy Carter and his Science Adviser, Frank Press, in the late 1970s. Because the concept of Jeffersonian science explicitly ties basic research to the social good, one of the potential benefits of adding a Jeffersonian dimension to our thinking about science is that it might make science careers more attractive to women and underrepresented minorities. [Preview Abstract] |
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