Inform & Influence S&T Policy 2: The Public Likes Us!; Scientists Under Threat; FAS.

Your practical guide to the victories and struggles in Science and Technology (S&T) policy and how to make a difference.

In this newsletter, I share news about S&T policy, both encouraging news that I consider to be moving us in the right direction (societal progress catalysts) and less useful policy developments (societal progress roadblocks).?

I conclude with ways you can engage in S&T policy. If you are looking for a job in S&T policy or have one where you’d like to get the word out, please consider subscribing to my S&T Policy Job Opportunities newsletter on LInkedIn.

I hope you'll take a moment to look at the services offered by the Science and Technology and Policy Academy and my 2024 book From Expertise to Impact: A Practical Guide to Informing And Influencing Science and Technology Policy.

S&T Policy as a CATALYST for Societal Progress

The public likes us!

One of the most useful publications that comes out every 2 years is the National Science Board’s (NSB) ?Science & Engineering Indicators. The most recent edition came out a few months ago and I’d like to highlight the positive perspective the majority of the U.S. public has of science.? ? Here are three key takeaways as summarized by NSB:

• Public confidence in science and scientists has remained high for decades, with the majority of American adults reporting positive assessments of science and scientists. In 2022, 88% of U.S. adults agreed that scientific research that advances the frontiers of knowledge is necessary and deserves federal government support.
• A clear majority of U.S. adults—77% as of September 2022—expresses at least a fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public.
• U.S. adults’ support for scientific activities is not always contingent on research consensus: although a majority of U.S. adults in 2021 believed climate scientists had more to learn before those scientists would understand climate change mitigation “very well,” 67% of U.S. adults in 2023 supported prioritizing development of energy sources (such as solar and wind) that are relevant to mitigation.

In a country that is about 50/50 on just about every issue imaginable, it's nice to see that the vast majority of the American public thinks that scientific research is important, deserving of federal support, and has confidence in scientists' ability to act in the public interest.??

As we enter the week that celebrates the founding of the United States, its good to know that support of science and technology has been around since the founding of our republic.? As I discuss in my book, From Expertise to Impact, the U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776), as penned by Thomas Jefferson, includes key phrases such as “laws of nature” (Newton’s laws) and “truths to be self-evident” (Euclid’s axioms). Here’s an excerpt (emphasis added):

“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”?

Although these words are credited to Thomas Jefferson, in reality, Jefferson indicated he “adopted the ‘harmonizing sentiments of the day’” from the era of Enlightenment (aka Age of Reason) discussed throughout Western civilization.

Beyond the Declaration of Independence, we see the need for science and engineering in the Constitution (1787), which identifies the need for patent and copyright laws, developing standards of weights and measures (important in a day when gold and other materials were used to make coins), and conducting a population census (as a basis for a direct tax):?

“[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures” [U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 5]?

“To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries” [U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 8]?

“No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.” [U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 4]?

This lead to the first S&T-focused organizations in the federal government.? Today they are called the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; one of our most important yet unsung agencies), the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Census Bureau.? All of these organizations are in today's U.S. Department of Commerce, whose focus at that time was on funding the young nation.? So think about this history as you watch those fireworks (and think about the technology behind them) on this 4th of July!

S&T Policy as a ROADBLOCK to Societal Progress

Update from Last Week's Roadblock: The Supreme Court did indeed turnover the Chevron Doctrine. See more details by reading

• "Supreme Court curbs federal agency power, overturning Chevron precedent: The Chevron precedent was targeted by conservatives who say the government gives too much power to federal bureaucrats" in the Washington Post; and
• "Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine, Imperiling an Array of Federal Rules: The foundational 1984 decision required courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes, underpinning regulations on health care, safety and the environment" in the New York Times.

This Week's Roadblock: Scientists Under Threat

Of course, there are the extremes out there who threaten instead of supporting scientists. I was reminded of these challenges as I watched interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci about his new book, On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service, in which he talks about the threats to his life and that of his family as a result of statements made by policymakers.

Scientists have faced threats by policymakers for centuries, as demonstrated by? Hypatia and Galileo. But these challenges still occur today.? Take, for example, the 2015 Italian court conviction of seven scientists and experts for what they considered inadequate warnings about an earthquake.?

As recently as May 2024, Nature reported that “Harassment of scientists is surging — institutions aren’t sure how to help."? The threats are not just to high-profile scientists like Dr. Fauci, they report, but also to “mathematical disease modelers, pharmacologists, physicists, and fluid-dynamics researchers” for “private lectures and conference presentations that are shared online, studies published in journals, [and] research work done for government agencies."

Further, this is not just a U.S. issue, but a global issue as discussed in this article, “What happens when governments crack down on scientists just doing their jobs?.”

What is the S&T community doing about these challenges? The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Human Rights (NASEM CHR) "advocates in support of colleagues subjected to serious human rights abuses worldwide, with a focus on individuals targeted for their professional activities or the exercise of other internationally protected rights [and] assists professional colleagues under threat by linking them to pro bono legal and other support services.” It also serves as the Secretariat for this issue globally.??

But is this enough?? Can policy play a greater role? I’d like to hear your thoughts.?

If you’d like to know what you can do, the NASEM CHR has eight suggestions of actions you can take to promote human rights in science, engineering, and medicine.

How YOU Can ENGAGE in S&T Policy

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an interesting and unique organization that doesn’t get as much visibility as it should. Over 75 years ago FAS was founded by a group of concerned atomic researchers after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.? Today, FAS brings together scientific expertise to inform and influence policymaking.?

One of their most interesting activities, the Day One project, provides an opportunity for you to contribute to S&T policy! Day One 2025 seeks “bold policy ideas, grounded in science and evidence, that can tackle the country’s biggest challenges and bring us closer to the prosperous, equitable, and safe future that we all hope for.”??

They are looking for your ideas in (at least) these policy topics:

?? Energy and Environment

?? R&D, Innovation, and Competitiveness

?? Government Capacity

?? Global Security

?? Emerging Tech and Artificial Intelligence.

The impact of the DayOne project, which began in 2020, includes “over $2.6 billion in federal investment across key science and technology priorities, eight new cross-cutting federal initiatives, four executive actions, and more.”

As I await the fun of tonight’s Presidential debate, I can only think we are always in need of bold and innovative ideas.? If you have some, take a look!

Thank YOU for reading!?

My name is Debbie Stine, I spent over 30 years in Washington DC working for the Obama White House as executive director of the President’s Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), an S&T policy specialist at the Congressional Research Service (a think tank for Congress), and 18 years at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, directing studies on innumerable S&T policy topics.??I wasn't able to express my personal point of view over those decades, so now I'm taking the opportunity to make my voice heard!

I'm the founder of the Science & Technology (S&T) Policy Academy, which offers workshops for organizations; “done for you” policy analysis; and career, leadership, and starting your own business coaching services.?Please consider subscribing to the S&T Policy Academy newsletter (not on LinkedIn) where you’ll learn about free workshops, useful tools, and resources in S&T Policy.