The more than 50 rookie congressional members who headed to Washington this month face a steep learning curve on complex and, probably, unfamiliar subjects, from foreign policy to the budget appropriations process. Many of these topics will involve science in one form or another -- from scientific evidence underpinning a specific policy to decisions influencing the direction, investment and advancements in our country's scientific enterprise.
Consider that more than $38 billion was spent by the federal government in 2007 for health-related research and more than $2 billion for energy research and technologies. That's not as high as the numbers attached to the stimulus package but large enough to get our attention when it comes to educated decision-making.
President Barack Obama has stated that he aims to promote scientific research and incorporate scientific evidence into policy debates. This re-emergence of science as a national policy priority requires a level of informed engagement that hasn't been seen in Washington in some time.
From medicine and health care to food safety, energy, space and the environment, science will play a key role in many of the policies our legislators will propose and debate. Members of Congress possess a range of backgrounds, including ministers, sheriffs, farmers and accountants. More than 40 percent hold law degrees, but only 8 percent hold a medical or doctorate degree with formal training in science and the scientific process.
With the exception of a small group of doctors and scientists, most members of Congress lack the background to understand the process of science and the subtle nuances that justify investments in science and engineering or changes in existing priorities.
What to do? We should take a lesson from the British and encourage all freshman members of Congress to take a crash course in science to equip them with a fundamental understanding of how research is conducted and the strengths and weaknesses inherent in any scientific dataset. The Conservative Party in Great Britain recently announced that it will include classes on scientific methodology and basic concepts in the orientation activities for all new Conservative members of Parliament after the next elections, specifically to address politicians' lack of scientific expertise.
Shadow Science Minister Adam Afriyie, the architect behind these new courses, says, "By building a base of scientific knowledge among politicians and officials, we aim to strengthen the role of science in policy making."
Although the official orientation for our new congressmen has already taken place, it isn't too late to impart some knowledge about subjects they almost certainly will be voting on. A good starting point would be with the scientific groups that already visit Capitol Hill to present workshops and seminars. The need for education works in both directions: the scientist-politicians, for instance, should be brushing up on Economics 101.
Although public policy is rarely based on scientific evidence alone, it no doubt could benefit from improved dialogue between experts and policymakers. Even seemingly unrelated policies on immigration and defense will have implications for the scientific research enterprise.
Let us be sure that our policymakers are making informed decisions, for these decisions may well impact generations to come.