This week, Lawrence M. Krauss, a physicist at Case Western Reserve University, wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal announcing a call for a presidential debate solely on the topics of science, technology, and health.
The initiative, called Sciencedebate 2008, calls for candidates to express their views on these issues in a public debate.
Dr. Krauss's editorial ended in the following way:
In spite of the ambivalence reflected in some polls, there is a popular understanding that science and technology will be essential to meet the challenges we face as a society. When reports began to surface warning that the avian flu might become a threat to humans, for example, everyone from the president down called for studies to determine how quickly the virus might mutate from birds to human beings. No one suggested that "intelligent design," for example, could provide answers.
We as a nation desperately need a more scientifically literate electorate and leadership, and a presidential debate on these subjects would be a good first step in this direction.
We as a nation desperately need a more scientifically literate electorate and leadership, and a presidential debate on these subjects would be a good first step in this direction.
Increasing scientific literacy among the US electorate is a challenge all science educators must face head on. We need an "educator in chief" who is willing to lead the charge.
posted by Jeremy Mohn
