Science Debate o8
Saturday, March 15, 2008 - 4:38 PM

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I have been a part of Science Debate 08 for some time. The purpose is to sponsor a debate between the Presidential candidates on the role of science and engineering in their administrations. The organization has a number of our most visible scientists, engineers and politicians. The nominal leaders are Congressmen Rush Holt and Vern Ehlers. Both are Ph.D. Physicists and are very active on high tech issues in the Congress. Science Debate 08 held a press conference in Philadelphia on Friday. The results are below:

"Every Nobel laureate we've spoken to has said the same thing: the next four to eight years are critical and the next president has the potential to determine the future health of all life on earth.
Last Tuesday Bill Gates testified before Congress saying that on the economic front, America "is at a crossroads" and will almost certainly become a second-rate economy without massive attention to science & engineering in schools and changes in government policies toward innovation.
These are dire words from people who are normally cautious in language, and they are just two of the major questions that are getting virtually no discussion in our electoral process.
So on March 14, we held a high-powered press conference in Philadelphia, arguing that Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama have a moral obligation to debate these issues. It was attended by several TV and radio crews, print journalists, supporters and some terrific kids from a local science magnet high school. After all, they're the ones that are going to have to live with our failed policies."

We hope to have a debate on April 19 although the condidates have not responded to our request yet. For details on this initiative see http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/  
 

 
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