Two Boston University professors have joined the chorus of several thousand American scientists who have been calling for a presidential debate focused on science and technology.
School of Public Health environmental health professor David Ozonoff and College of Arts and Sciences physics professor Sheldon Glashow, a Nobel laureate, lent public support to Science Debate 2008, a grassroots non partisan movement petitioning for the debate, which is scheduled for April 18.
Invitations to the debate — to be held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia — were sent to the four remaining presidential candidates Feb. 7. The invitation, which is posted online, says the focus will be on science policy, but “is not intended to be a science quiz.”
University presidents, Nobel laureates, leading scientists and science organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, have also signed the petition, according to the debate website.
“The last seven years have been a nightmare,” Ozonoff said. “Science is in bad shape right now. We need to do something to reinstate science to where it was before.”
Ozonoff said a debate about science policy is necessary to call attention to the importance of scientific research and the role science plays in other, national issues. The Bush administration largely ignored science issues with “big consequences,” Ozonoff said.
Because the government has neglected science policy, the United States has fallen behind other countries in terms of innovation, Ozonoff said. He said he wants the presidential candidates to debate conflicts of interest among scientists and government leaders and increase support for young scientist training.
“We’re losing an entire generation of science leaders,” Ozonoff said.
CAS chemistry professor John Snyder said he had not signed the petition and had not heard of the movement. He laughed about the prospect of a presidential debate centered on science.
“That would be a comedy to watch,” Snyder said. “Can you imagine those clowns trying to discuss science?”
Glashow said he hopes the debate will focus on health care, the economy and “the assault on the environment,” issues he said are “essentially scientific problems.”
Most of the presidential candidates have not spent enough time discussing science policy, but some candidates have been more outspoken than others, Ozonoff said.
“Hillary Clinton has been the fullest in her discussion of science policy,” Ozonoff said. “But [Mike] Huckabee is somewhere orbiting past Pluto. He thinks he came from Adam’s rib, so what does that tell you?”
He added that candidates have neglected science policy discussion because the general public has not demanded its attention.
“It’s not the most pressing and urgent thing in people’s minds, although it happens to be a very important one,” Ozonoff said.
As of Feb. 13, none of the candidates had responded to the invitation for the debate, according to the Science Debate 2008 website. The invitation states the debate will still be held even if only one candidate participates, but Glashow said he was “not very hopeful” that any would respond.