Hillary Clinton spoke about science policy to the Carnegie Institution for Science today. She used the 50th Anniversary of the launch of Sputnik in 1957 to lay out what would be her administration's science policy, and to attack the Bush administration's attack on science over the last 7 years. As a professional scientist, I found her words to be very encouraging. It has been a very depressing time for scientists throughout the Bush years. Attacks on the independence of science and an unprecedented contraction in funding for research have made it a tough time. Most welcome were her remarks on stem cell research. The Bush policy has been yet another fiasco (they pretty much own the word now). Below, I wanted to touch on a few of the things Hillary said. But it was a pretty good speech. Scientists can look forward to a much more supportive White House if she becomes the President. Most of us scientists look back fondly on Bill Clinton's administration as the most supportive any of us can remember.
She blasted the Bush regime for its policy of "open season on open enquiry". The intimidation of climate scientists is well known. The strangling of NIH funding is less well known. When Bill was President, about 28-30% of grants were funded. This year in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke it was about 9%. That's no way to fund medical research.
Al Teich from AAAS was impressed with Hillary's recounting of anecdotes about the travails of stem cell scientists, something I am familiar with. I just want to quote briefly from the Wired Magazine article:
Teich was particularly struck by an anecdote that Clinton shared with her audience about how Bush's stem-cell policy had made research in this area particularly difficult. Clinton recalled a story she'd been told about a stem-cell researcher's experiment that had been ruined when the lab suffered a power failure. Because the rules ban researchers from using federally funded facilities for privately funded stem-cell research, the scientist was unable transfer the laboratory samples to a working refrigerator paid for by the federal government. The experiment was ruined.
"The point was about how difficult it is to do that kind of research now because of the need to create these separations," said Teich. "She understood this issue, and this is of considerable concern to many scientists."
Clinton said that under her admin, the government would return to funding stem cell research including embryonic stem cells, ban polticial employees from interfering with gvernment scientists' conclusions, have a science advisor report directly to the President, and boost reasearch into space, earth science and alternative energy - all areas that have been starved under the Bush war on science.
In summary, it was a very welcome speech for a scientist to hear. Of course, I do not doubt that the other Democratic candidates would say very similar things. It's just nice to hear it said.