Science Debate 2008
Encyclopedia
Science Debate 2008 was a grassroots
campaign to call for a public debate
in which the candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election discuss issues relating to the environment, health and medicine, and science and technology policy. The effort was co-chaired by U.S. House representatives
Vernon J. Ehlers and Rush D. Holt, Jr.
, and the steering committee includes Chris Mooney, Matthew Chapman
, Arne Carlson
, Lawrence Krauss, Sheril Kirshenbaum, John Rennie
, and Shawn Lawrence Otto
.
Both Barack Obama
and John McCain
participated in the initiative, which marked the first time in history the endorsed candidates for president laid out detailed science policies before the election. It became the largest political initiative in the history of American science, and made over 800 million media impressions.http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=56
Among the scientific organizations supporting the program were the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the National Academy of Sciences
, the Union of Concerned Scientists
, the Biophysical Society
, and the Association for Women in Science
. Other supporters included politicians, prominent research universities, Nobel laureates, business institutions, and science media editors.
Science Debate 2008's partners in the debate were the National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the Council on Competitiveness, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Originally, the four top candidates for the 2008 election, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
, Mike Huckabee
, and John McCain
, were officially invited to discuss science and technology issues at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute
on April 18, 2008. However, after none of the candidates agreed to participate in the debate, a second invitation was sent, proposing a debate at Portland State University
on May 2, May 9, or May 16. The moderator was to be David Brancaccio
, and it was set to air on PBS. Unlike most other debates, the questions were to be provided in advance. Although the candidates did not agree to the two televised debates proposed by Science Debate 2008, both Obama and McCain did participate in an online written version,sciencedebate.org providing detailed responses to the "14 Top Science Questions Facing America," a list suggested by the organization's members, and the Obama answers formed an early basis for the Obama science policy. Several of the earliest supporters of Science Debate are now in the Obama administration, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu
, NOAA Director Jane Lubchenco
, and Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren
.
Science Debate 2008 has received media attention from hundreds of outlets in the United States
and around the world, including MSNBC
, Science Friday, Wired.com, Earth & Sky
, as well as the editors of Scientific American
and Science
. An editorial in Nature
cautioned that "the proposed debate can be seen as an attempt by various élite institutions to grab the microphone and set the agenda from the top down" and Nature columnist David Goldston stated that "there is no reason to assume that a presidential debate on science matters would be instructive for the public or helpful to scientists."
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
campaign to call for a public debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
in which the candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election discuss issues relating to the environment, health and medicine, and science and technology policy. The effort was co-chaired by U.S. House representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Vernon J. Ehlers and Rush D. Holt, Jr.
Rush D. Holt, Jr.
Rush Dew Holt, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently the only Quaker in Congress.-Early life and education :Rush D. Holt was born to Rush D...
, and the steering committee includes Chris Mooney, Matthew Chapman
Matthew Chapman (author)
Matthew Chapman is an English journalist, screenwriter, and director. His latest film, The Ledge, which he wrote and directed, stars Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Terrence Howard, and Patrick Wilson. It was shot in Louisiana in spring 2010 and was accepted into the main competition at Sundance 2011....
, Arne Carlson
Arne Carlson
Arne Helge Carlson, Sr. is an American politician and the 37th Governor of the state of Minnesota.-Early years, education and family:...
, Lawrence Krauss, Sheril Kirshenbaum, John Rennie
John Rennie (editor)
John Rennie was the seventh editor in chief of Scientific American magazine. He holds a bachelors of science degree in biology from Yale University...
, and Shawn Lawrence Otto
Shawn Lawrence Otto
Shawn Lawrence Otto is an author, filmmaker, political strategist, speaker, science advocate, and screenwriter and co-producer of the movie House of Sand and Fog.-Bio:...
.
Both Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
participated in the initiative, which marked the first time in history the endorsed candidates for president laid out detailed science policies before the election. It became the largest political initiative in the history of American science, and made over 800 million media impressions.http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=56
Among the scientific organizations supporting the program were the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the Union of Concerned Scientists
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit science advocacy group based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. James J...
, the Biophysical Society
Biophysical Society
The Biophysical Society is an organization consisting of over 9,000 researchers in academia, government, and industry. Based in the USA, its international membership has grown to about 1/3 of the total. Founded in 1957 by Ernest C...
, and the Association for Women in Science
Association for Women in Science
The Association for Women in Science is a national advocacy organization championing the interests of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across all disciplines and employment sectors.-History:...
. Other supporters included politicians, prominent research universities, Nobel laureates, business institutions, and science media editors.
Science Debate 2008's partners in the debate were the National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the Council on Competitiveness, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Originally, the four top candidates for the 2008 election, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, were officially invited to discuss science and technology issues at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
on April 18, 2008. However, after none of the candidates agreed to participate in the debate, a second invitation was sent, proposing a debate at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
on May 2, May 9, or May 16. The moderator was to be David Brancaccio
David Brancaccio
David A. Brancaccio is an American radio and television journalist. He has been the host of the public radio business program Marketplace and the PBS newsmagazine NOW.-Early years:...
, and it was set to air on PBS. Unlike most other debates, the questions were to be provided in advance. Although the candidates did not agree to the two televised debates proposed by Science Debate 2008, both Obama and McCain did participate in an online written version,sciencedebate.org providing detailed responses to the "14 Top Science Questions Facing America," a list suggested by the organization's members, and the Obama answers formed an early basis for the Obama science policy. Several of the earliest supporters of Science Debate are now in the Obama administration, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu
Steven Chu
Steven Chu is an American physicist and the 12th United States Secretary of Energy. Chu is known for his research at Bell Labs in cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997, along with his scientific colleagues Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and...
, NOAA Director Jane Lubchenco
Jane Lubchenco
Dr. Jane Lubchenco is a Ukrainian-American environmental scientist and marine ecologist. On March 19, 2009, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first woman to serve as the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .While performing duties as head of NOAA, Dr...
, and Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren
John Holdren
John Paul Holdren is advisor to President Barack Obama for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology...
.
Science Debate 2008 has received media attention from hundreds of outlets in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and around the world, including MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, Science Friday, Wired.com, Earth & Sky
Earth & Sky
Earth & Sky is a daily radio series presenting information about science and nature. It began broadcasting in 1991. Earth & Sky is the creation of producers Deborah Byrd and Joel Block, also the hosts, whose program "Star Date" began broadcasting in the U.S...
, as well as the editors of Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
and Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
. An editorial in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
cautioned that "the proposed debate can be seen as an attempt by various élite institutions to grab the microphone and set the agenda from the top down" and Nature columnist David Goldston stated that "there is no reason to assume that a presidential debate on science matters would be instructive for the public or helpful to scientists."
See also
- United States presidential election debates, 2008United States presidential election debates, 2008The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates sponsored four debates for the 2008 U.S. presidential general election, which took place at various locations around the United States in September and October 2008...
- Democratic Party (United States) presidential debates, 2008Democratic Party (United States) presidential debates, 2008The 2008 Democratic Presidential Debates were political debates prior to and during the 2008 Democratic Primaries. The debates began on April 26, 2007, in Orangeburg, South Carolina.-Election 2008:...
- Republican Party (United States) presidential debates, 2008Republican Party (United States) presidential debates, 2008The 2008 Republican Presidential Debates were political debates before the 2008 Republican Primaries. The first was May 3, 2007, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Other debates have taken place in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida...