0.15 The first obama months  (Page 8/8)

The committee suggested that the ultimate goal of landing humans on Mars was not likely for fifteen to twenty years. However, “there is great merit in having some interim milestones along the way to Mars [such as landing on one or more asteroids] where you can point to significant scientific and technological accomplishments.” Lawler, op. cit .

Obama accepted the principal points in this report, including cancellation of the Constellation program. His fiscal year 2011 budget request canceled Constellation funding; as an alternative, it encouraged the development of private-sector capabilities to carry astronauts into low-earth orbit vehicles and eventually back to the moon. In an April 2010 address to the staff of NASA headquarters in Texas, he sympathized with those who were concerned about their jobs. However, he emphasized that the advent of greater involvement of the private sector in space would create additional, more promising jobs in the long term.

Obama administration priority issues

The president’s emphasis on developing alternative energy sources to reduce dependence on foreign oil and to reduce dangerous greenhouse gas emissions has met with some success. His initiatives had both the federal government and several states subsidizing two of the best-known forms of sustainable energy sources: solar and wind power. Although alternative energy sources have a promising future, there was also general agreement in the administration and elsewhere that they will not replace more conventional sources for many years. Early in the spring of 2010, the administration signaled its understanding of the problem when it issued a statement specifying a mix of technologies required for the nation’s energy future. As might have been anticipated, the development of alternative energy sources were assigned high priorities. So was a revival of nuclear fission. Surprisingly, the list also included a lifting of the moratorium on offshore drilling, reflecting the reality that many years would be required to reduce reliance on petroleum significantly.

Unfortunately, in mid-April the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, operated by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank, leading to the most disastrous oil spill in U.S. history. The Obama administration was criticized for failing to sufficiently oversee offshore drilling. It was also criticized for not recognizing the seriousness of the problem at first. By early June, after many futile efforts, BP managed to place a dome over the leak and partially reduce its flow. Two relief wells were being drilled, but these would not be effective until August. At any rate, the administration announced a moratorium on future drilling.

Ncst/pcast

PCAST has stressed the need for improvement in STEM education, particularly at the precollege levels. This emphasis is consistent with the scientific community’s decision to rise to the president’s challenge with a nationwide Educate to Innovate campaign, Ibid., No. 140 (November 24, 2009). which is supported by several professional science and engineering societies, including the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The objective is to draw attention to STEM subjects, boost student interest in these fields and see thousands of volunteer scientists enter classrooms and work with educators. The highlight of the campaign was a National Lab Day during the first week of May 2010, which brought volunteer scientists and engineers to schools to demonstrate STEM concepts, donate or repair lab equipment, arrange or host field trips, and develop and oversee hands-on learning supplements.

At its May 21, 2010, meeting, Science Advisor Holdren characterized the current PCAST as “the most active and productive PCAST in history.” FYI: The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News (June 2, 2010). At that same meeting, PCAST announced that it was working on a report on influenza vaccinology, and had briefed the president on its progress during March.

Assessment

Whether Obama’s commitment to science policy as demonstrated by his fiscal year 2010 budget request and his obvious understanding of essential science programs would translate into effective use of the presidential science advisory system at his disposal was still an open question in the summer of 2010. Many in the scientific community welcomed Obama’s election and, as expected, his administration has been more friendly to scientific and engineering research and education than was his predecessor’s, and his policies on such hot-button issues as stem cell research and global climate change are science-friendly rather than ideologically driven. With the exceptions of President Ford and the first President Bush, presidents have rarely come into office with an understanding or appreciation of the science policy tools at their disposal. At this writing, the Obama administration, less than two years old, seems poised—electoral politics permitting—to amply justify the expectations of those in the scientific community who welcomed his election.

However, these supporters recognize that the president will continue to wrestle for some time with the effects of the economic downturn he inherited. Even some of these supporters are becoming skeptical about whether his much-vaunted economic stimulus package will bring about the full economic recovery that would allow for greater progress in his science-policy initiatives.