As Barack Obama takes the oath and is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, many are anticipating a new era of socially relevant science and technology. Having run one of the most technologically savvy campaigns in recent times—possibly ever—Obama’s transition teams continued to break new ground in using technology up open up the process of government. And throughout the campaign and transition, there has been an emphasis on scientific integrity, and using science and technology in the service of society.
The trick is going to be to maintain this momentum in the new administration. Obama has surrounded himself with a top-notch group of science and technology advisors, and this, combined with a desire to get science and technology back on track, bodes well for the new Presidency. As BBC News reported this morning, scientists are optimistic that Obama has what it takes to reposition science and technology within government and society. And yesterday’s USA Today noted that “Scientists are hopeful that Obama, who has called for increased research spending, will bring a new dawn [to science].”
Of course, realizing the promise of a new scientific dawn will not be easy… Where will the money come from? What should the top priorities be? Will robust long-term science strategies be established? How will citizens be effectively engaged in the science and technology enterprise?
The USA Today piece explores some of these concerns (and does it well), and in the weeks and months to come, these and other issues will be aired more fully as the euphoria of Obama’s election dies down and reality sets.
But today, it’s time to celebrate the inauguration of a new president who has repeatedly emphasized the importance of science and technology for everyone.
On that note, rather than continuing to pompously pontificate on science and technology in the new administration, I’m going to sit back and enjoy the historic events of the day.
And in the spirit of a social media-savvy [soon not to be] president-elect, I will be eschewing the crowds of DC, and following the inauguration on the web. You can follow 2020science and others on Twitter as the day proceeds—just use the tag #inaug09.
Have a great inauguration day!
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A note on the image.
I’ve been looking for an excuse to use the Nanobama image since it hit the headlines some weeks back. The image, made by John Hart, Sameh Tawfick, Michael De Volder, and Will Walker, was constructed from an etched “forest” of carbon nanotubes. Given the science and technology focus of the new administration, this seemed a great reminder of the potential of emerging technologies, and the challenges of translating that potential into safe and successful solutions to real issues.
Update
From the inauguration speech:
We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
It’s reassuring to hear that aside from slipping up on his inauguration vows (which sadly accounted for a lot of what we saw from the UK), Obama didn’t neglect to emphasise his committment to scitech development in the US – we’re all looking forward to hearing more on his longer term plans for nanotech, in particular in relation to giving EH&S research a helping hand.
At least we learned two things: Obama is committed to science, and that he’s human – good combination 🙂