OK, are you as bored with Sarah Palin as I am? Good.
Then you will find it fascinating to follow this link and read all about what Barack Obama plans to do for science in America during his eight years of victorious presidency (knock wood).
All through the primaries, Science Debate 2008 hounded the candidates to talk concretely about science. These are Obama's answers. Supposedly McCain's will follow.
Note: I am a scientist, and if I had not previously decided to vote for Obama, these answers would seal the deal.*
Follow me over the fold for the highlights.
- On competitiveness.
My administration will increase funding for basic research in physical and life sciences, mathematics, and engineering at a rate that would double basic research budgets over the next decade. We will increase research grants for early-career researchers to keep young scientists entering these fields. We will increase support for high-risk, high-payoff research portfolios at our science agencies. And we will invest in the breakthrough research we need to meet our energy challenges and to transform our defense programs.
Not only will Barack Obama commit to doubling basic research budgets, he must have actually been speaking to people at the funding agencies, because he's using their jargon. Nice.
- On Climate Change.
There can no longer be any doubt that human activities are influencing the global climate and we must react quickly and effectively.
Be still my beating heart. Now, I've got my doubts about clean coal, but the idea of a tech transfer program to develop green technologies and EXPORT THEM (thereby making money exporting technologies to other polluter nations while cleaning things up) is a fantastic idea.
- On Energy.
My programs focus both on a greatly expanded program of federally funded energy research and development and on policies designed to speed the adoption of innovative energy technologies and stimulate private innovation.
- On Education.
I will support research to understand the strategies and mechanisms that bring lasting improvements to STEM education and ensure that promising practices are widely shared. This includes encouraging the development of cutting edge STEM instructional materials and technologies, and working with educators to ensure that assessments measure the range of knowledge and skills needed for the 21st Century.
A whole bunch of science education geeks just fainted in joy.
- On National Security.
My administration will put basic defense research on a path to double and will assure strong funding for investments in DoD’s applied research programs.
It's all in this vein: extremely supportive of mega investments in basic research, applied research, research in education, and incentives for students to pursue higher education in science.
We struggle every day to scrape the dollars together to train the next generation of scientists. On the individual scientist level, providing that training requires many components: many thousands of dollars annually to procure the equipment and raw materials for a strong basic research program in your lab, mechanisms for funding students and postdocs, support for building an educational infrastructure at the institution so students aren't doing lab exercises using yesterday's technology, and so much more. After eight years of dumbing down (preceded by plenty of additional dumbing down during the Reagan Era), American science needs Barack Obama.
*Except the health care one. A Democratic Congress and interested citizens are going to have to hold Obama's feet over the fire to get national health care.