An British Import we could use.
A new PR campaign has been launched in the UK, “Science: So What? – So everything”.
It is my sincere hope that Obama and his new administration would strive to bring something akin to this campaign to the US. Ignorance, mistrust and misunderstanding best describe the general population of the United States’ attitudes toward science and scientific research.
With 2009 being the anniversary of a couple great scientific landmarks it is far beyond time that not only scientific research got the federal funding it deserves, but also an effort is made to educate the public in the value of such research. If the US is to keep a shred of it’s dignity a new generation of scientists and engineers is going to be absolutely vital, we need a new “inspired generation”.
Just as my generation was inspired by David Attenborough and Carl Sagan, new public faces will be needed. Unfortunately the over-saturation of media is a difficult obstacle to overcome. Cable came late to the small town I grew up in, and even then cable television was only tens of channels instead of the hundreds available to me now. How do we get children and adults to see the message when there’s a dozen christian broadcast channels and 24-hour Reality TV networks?
I don’ t know how to overcome these obstacles, but I feel it is necessary, perhaps entertaining and educational science videos sponsored by the National Academies mandatory in school science classes?
This fundig is just as important as the money going to directly fund research, in the long term it will pay back tenfold, ensuring a higher quality of life in prepetuity, not just for americans but around the world.