Gina M. Florio
Science Learning Community
General Chemistry Extra Credit
St. John's University
25 October 2008
The Great Science Debate 2008
Introduction
Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008, is quickly approaching. As
scientists, we recognize the critical importance of science,
engineering, and technology to our lives as Americans and as global
citizens. Issues related to science broadly influence all
aspects of our daily lives, including education, the economy, and
global leadership in basic research and technological
advances. For example, development of the internet, and the
resulting industries built around, about, on, and for it, was
initiated in 1973 by basic research performed in academic and
government laboratories in the United States, funded by the U.S.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is
supported by U.S. tax dollars. This DARPA funding lead
directly to the development and implementation of the TCP/IP
Protocol Suite, which together with the 1998 invention of the World
Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee, thrust us forth into the present
Information Age. Given that science, engineering, and
technology directly impact our Country’s domestic and foreign
policy, we have an obligation as scientists to inform the societal
discussion, direct our leaders, and oversee the spending of our tax
dollars to address the state of the environment, energy resources
and technology, health care and medicine, science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, among other
important issues. We need to exercise our important role as
citizen scientists by making an informed decision for President on
Nov. 4th. To that end, join with your friends and faculty
members in the Science Learning Community’s Great Science Debate
2008 to learn about and discuss John McCain and Barack Obama’s
policy proposals and stances on the 14 most important STEM issues
facing our Nation
today.
How to participate:
1. Go to the website www.sciencedebate2008.com
and read each candidate’s platform and opinions regarding the 14
most important STEM issues.
2. Answer (in writing) the following three questions on one of the
issues:
1. What is Senator McCain’s stance
and policy on the issue?
2. What is Senator Obama’s stance and policy on the issue?
3. What is your stance on the issue and why?
In your answers, summarize succinctly each Candidate’s stance
and policy in your own words, without copying directly or quoting
the views outlined on the website. You will also need to
formulate your own opinions based on the scientific method and
empirical evidence, not simply personal emotions or feeling.
This might require you to read up on the issue and cite reputable
external sources of information, such as those linked to on www.sciencedebate2008.com,
in addition to the ones listed below. Keep it short and
simple!
Some good sources of
information:
The American Chemical
Society
Chemical and Engineering
News (C&EN’s Oct. 6, 2008 issue has a special feature
article on McCain and Obama’s answers to science policy
questions)
The American Physical
Society
Physics Today (Physics
Today’s Oct. 2008 issue has a special report on the presidential
race)
Science Magazine
The New York Times
Scientific American
You may use other reputable sources to inform you own policy and
stance on one of the 14 STEM issue outlined on the Science Debate
2008 website. However, sources such as www.wikipedia.org, just as any
other encyclopedia, might be a good place to start your research;
however, it is not an appropriate primary or secondary literature
reference.
3. Print out your answers to the three questions and bring them
with you to a free dinner on Wed. Oct. 30th from
7-10 PM in Donovan Hall where we will have a lively, informal but
informed discussion of our ideas on science policy. You
should be ready to convince me and Dr. Victor Cesare why we should
support your candidate on Election Day!
4. Turn in your answers after participating in dinner and the
discussion and get 20 points of extra credit on
your final grade in CHE 1210!