History was made a few weeks ago when Barack Obama was elected our 44th president. Since then, much speculation has been swirling around the media about what he will do once in office. Here at Rockefeller we may be wondering how the new administration may affect us in the science community. While there are more predictions than promises out there, there are a few tidbits that may indicate how science policy will be shaped.

Scientific Integrity

This September Obama was interviewed by Nature Magazine. He indicated “government decisions should be based on… scientifically valid evidence and not the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.” His science plan, released the same month, said he will appoint an Assistant to the President on Science and Technology, who will also serve as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology (OST). This person will report directly to the president. He also assured he would make this appointment early in his term. He stated he would issue an Executive Order clearly outlining the rules for “review and release of federally funded research.”
Among his science advisors are Harold Varmus, former head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Gilbert Ommen, former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Peter Agre, who won the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry (along with Roderick McKinnon); Donald Lamb, a NASA researcher; and Sharon Long, a Stanford University plant biologist. Mario Molina and Thomas Kalil are on the transition team that will be responsible for reviewing federal agencies. Molina is a Nobel Prize winning chemist from University of California, San Diego. Kalil was a Clinton White House science and technology official. He will run a review for the OST, along with Henry Kelly and Michael Stebbins of the Federation of American Scientists. R. Alta Charo, a University of Wisconsin Law School bioethicist, is also on the team.
In mid November, Obama named Tom Dashle as Secretary for Health and Human Services. Tom Dashle is a former Democratic Senator from South Dakota and has recently been an advisor for a lobbying firm and has been a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think tank. The Secretary for Health and Human Services is in charge of the FDA, Medicare and Medicaid, and NIH. Additionally, the members of Obama’s transition team on science, technology, space, and the arts have been announced. The eleven member team will be headed up by Tom Wheeler, former President of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. There are two former NASA officials on the team. The rest are lawyers, technology experts, and college professors.

Science Education

Obama has indicated in the past that he is supportive of science education in this country. When asked about teaching evolution vs. intelligent design in schools this past March, Obama was quoted in the York Daily Record as saying, “I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry.” He has been supportive of diversity in science education. He told the Association of Women in Science “Title IX has the potential to make similar, striking advances in the opportunities that girls have in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines.” In his Science Policy released in September, he proposes to increase STEM education at community colleges to aide transition to four year schools. He wants to “triple the number of National Science Foundtation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships from 1,000 to 3,000.” He proposed to create a fast–track program to allow “foreign students who receive advance technical degrees from US universities to receive employment based visas without having to return to their home country.”

Stem Cell Research

Obama has been supportive of stem cell research and is known for saying he plans to overturn Bush’s ban on federal funding of such research. His new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, stated that this would be one of their highest priorities once in office. It has been stated recently by John Podesta, his transition team leader, that he is reviewing all of Bush’s executive orders. This September Obama reiterated this promise to a group of science organizations, and that he would support genetic engineering recommendations from the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee.

Funding

Obama has promised during his campaign to double NIH and NSF funding. In his Science Policy, he says this would be done over a ten year period. Sharon Long indicated that he would stand by this promise, despite the economic crisis, at a talk this October.

HIV/AIDS

Obama’s campaign plan calls for increasing federal funding for “science-based HIV prevention programs.”

How many of the promises and predications will actually come to fruition remains to be seen in the months and years to come.