 "Photo: Jordan Bryan")
Common sense has entered the building - at least, on the science front. The tech-savvy President Obama not only "understands the importance of technology," like former senator and technology guru Ted Stevens of Alaska, but is also an active participant in today's wired lifestyle. When a president refuses to cede his Blackberry out of fear of "losing touch with normal life," it bodes well for technology's status within the capital. Obama's presidential campaign and proposed scientific policy quickly put to rest any lingering concerns that his love of technology is merely pandering to the space-age electorate. This may very well be the closest we get to a scientific-messiah-president, and that's good news for every American.
As we all know, American dominance in science and technology has seen a fall from grace rivaling that of the Titans. We've all heard this to death, especially in the gloom of last year. Bottom line: we're sucking it up.
That's not entirely true anymore. America is still at the vanguard of scientific innovation, with brilliant minds paving the way. What's different now, as compared to the last eight years, is we finally have a president willing to listen to these minds with an open one of his own. The most tangible evidence of this principal would probably be the nomination of physicist and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy. We finally have someone at the top willing to acknowledge that a political title isn't a substitute for sound scientific discourse.
The danger in all of this is assuming Obama is going to fix everything on his own. He has simply demonstrated his willingness to listen to hard facts and respect people with more expertise than him. All we've gained here (as monumental as it may be) is a friend in the White House finally fit for the times. It's still up to us to demand from him the science policies that will generate game-changing medical solutions, energy sources for the next generation and appropriate information infrastructure that would help everyone from business to academia to manufacturing and beyond.
There is time yet to get things back on track. Who knows - we may even solve our economic woes, assuming intelligence hasn't entirely emancipated itself from the markets. Here are a few things we should keep our focus on in an Obama science policy:
Stem cells. They'll never leave us. Literally. The stem cell debate is hopefully on the verge of falling out. Extra embryos from fertilization processes, among other sources, will no longer be tossed into the Bush policy trash can, but instead be studied and maybe eventually used to generate medical therapies. It's dastardly, I know. The promise of stem cells as a viable cure in any disease is still up in the air, but as science always says, you don't know until you know. And now, with a President that doesn't resort to religion-laden stem cell rhetoric, we might finally know.
Hopefully, the nomination of Steven Chu will provide strides in another important issue: new energy sources. Who better to spearhead America's energy policy than a physicist? The steps taken by Obama to respect the scientific community are more than enough to demonstrate change. Obama's insistence on finding new alternatives to polluting energy sources is refreshing, but his policies on ANWAR drilling may need a watchful eye. Obama's heart may be in the right place, but it is important to push him toward supporting cutting edge energy alternatives.
The evolution debate hasn't surfaced in force recently, ideally indicating a sudden understanding of what evolution education really is. It isn't a threat to religion (unless you happen to tie your soul to modern scientific inquiry) and it isn't a threat to children. Obama's stressing of education has led to a promising nomination in Arne Duncan with the intent of getting the education system back in shape. It's safe to say that the policies of the next few years, along with the natural decay of ignorance, will finally put a nail in the coffin of this debate.
Obama led a revolutionary campaign that unfolded, for the most part, online and he has learned his lesson, updating the virtual White House to match today's web standards and expectations. It's exciting to see someone take an active interest in the technology that defines our modern day. And I do mean see. With periodic webcasts keeping up with Obama's promised transparency we'll find ourselves closer to the President than we have ever felt. The only concern here is Obama's still empty, but promised, Chief Technology Officer position. We'll go ahead and assume he'll fix the situation after he patches up our economy. If not, well, that's where we come in to push him in the right direction. And, for once, we won't be unpatriotic in demanding more from our President.
The Obama attitude couldn't have come a moment too soon. The elixir for a stagnating economy is a returned emphasis on science and technology, promoting jobs and continuously opening the horizon for tomorrow's opportunities. There's plenty to be skeptical about in Obama's term and we're already beginning to see the rosy picture painted for us through the campaign dull ever so slightly. If there's one thing that we should take advantage of, however, it's using Obama's open ear to reinstate the U.S. as a technological superpower. Everything will just fall into place after that.
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