Science in a Cold (Political) Climate: Science Policy Politics and the New Congress

Description:

Is the new Congress “anti-science”?

What can scientists do to improve the use of science in policy making?

What are the gravest dangers in the relationship between scientists and politicians today and how can they be reduced? David Goldston, will address these and related questions, drawing on his experience working for and with both parties in Congress.

David Goldston became Director of Government Affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading environmental group, in July 2009. Prior to that, he had spent more than 20 years on Capitol Hill, working primarily on science policy and environmental policy. He was Chief of Staff of the House Committee on Science from 2001 through 2006. After retiring from government service, Goldston was a visiting lecturer at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 2007 and at the Harvard University Center for the Environment in 2008 and 2009. From 2007 through November 2009, he wrote a monthly column for Nature on science policy titled “Party of One.” He also was the project director for the Bipartisan Policy Center report “Improving the Use of Science in Regulatory Policy,” which was released in August 2009. He serves on the National Academy of Sciences’ Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board. Since 2006, Goldston has also co-chaired an American Physical Society study on energy efficiency and has served on panels producing reports under the auspices of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and OMB Watch. He holds a B.A. (1978) from Cornell University and completed the course work for a Ph.D. in American history at the University of Pennsylvania.