Biden Administration Question for the Scientific Community: Sharing Benefits With All
President Biden is asking his science advisors to answer five important questions to help guide his administration. Please share your insights on these important questions:
How can we guarantee that the fruits of science and technology are fully shared across America and among all Americans?
How can we guarantee that the fruits of science and technology are fully shared across America and among all Americans?
Mamta
Clear townhall for every scientific rule and regulation that is updated, as in addition to the federal govt & industry, consumers are EQUAL stakeholders and the govt needs to hear from them BEFORE rules go into effect. Restricting lobbyists big time from.any role in federal government decision is a must. Finally EEO laws should be implemented honestly, providing equity and equal access to marginalized communities.
Ian M. Davis
The question brings to mind the aphorism, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink." If the criterion for success is to "guarantee that science and technology are fully shared across America and among all Americans" (slightly edited), and if you can accept my analogy that "all America" is a horse, then you can make S&T available through TV, radio, magazines, internet sites, newspapers, journals, libraries (i.e., water), but you cannot "guarantee" that anyone except those who desire that "water" to drink it.
Our preschool, primary, and secondary education institutions are avoided by people who want to home-school their children or send them to alternative schools that may or may not teach math and science. Students who emerge from those education modalities may develop an interest in science absent any inspiration from their homes or schools, but the same is true of standard public and private schools. Science literacy should begin at home in a family that nurtures curiosity in their children. That curiosity can be amplified in schools. If the curiosity isn't there, it is unclear to me how a student might find the discipline and patience to learn about the fruits of science and technology.
On top of these issues, one must add that while the internet has made the research scientist's job much easier in some ways, the internet also tends to amplify anti-science nonsense, which attracts minds that might otherwise have focused on learning at least the basics of various sciences. The basics might assist the nonspecific "them" in separating nonsense from the probable and the probable from the factual.
I believe the Administration sets the goal too high and may want to establish more achievable metrics.
Our preschool, primary, and secondary education institutions are avoided by people who want to home-school their children or send them to alternative schools that may or may not teach math and science. Students who emerge from those education modalities may develop an interest in science absent any inspiration from their homes or schools, but the same is true of standard public and private schools. Science literacy should begin at home in a family that nurtures curiosity in their children. That curiosity can be amplified in schools. If the curiosity isn't there, it is unclear to me how a student might find the discipline and patience to learn about the fruits of science and technology.
On top of these issues, one must add that while the internet has made the research scientist's job much easier in some ways, the internet also tends to amplify anti-science nonsense, which attracts minds that might otherwise have focused on learning at least the basics of various sciences. The basics might assist the nonspecific "them" in separating nonsense from the probable and the probable from the factual.
I believe the Administration sets the goal too high and may want to establish more achievable metrics.
Nouhoum Bouare
When the scientific research is designed based the community needs and cost effectiveness approach for that all American people benefit the fruit of the cost saving and impactful research work. Just my point of view on this interesting and important question.
Igor Burstyn
Encourage open scientific debate, where divergent opinions are respected, and discourage group-think and idiotic slogans like "Trust Science". Make all such discussion apolitical. This would be hard to do for political animals and media who have the power to stage such debates.
Ron Brecher
Increase scientific literacy everywhere. People may not value what they can't understand. Science and scientists may have data and facts, but that's often not enough anymore. Scientists need to be able to communicate in plain language what they're studying and why, and how it affects everyone. Another key point is that we need to help people learn to live better with uncertainty. Scientists are trained to deal with uncertainty, but some people see uncertainty as a sign of weakness. Science lives at the edge of knowledge, where we're trying to understand things we don't know yet. That's exciting.
MMC
Transparency, a much higher regard for individual privacy than currently done, and a focus in education (at all levels) on communication and critical thinking skills.
Frank Schnell