OP-ED
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Future depends on nation's science writers, news media
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As Thomas Jefferson famously said to William C. Jarvis in 1820: "I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."
At this very time when we need to empower the electorate to make decisions, our national media is giving less space and air time to science reporting. We face the challenging issues of genetic engineering, global warming and an energy crisis. Yet newspaper after newspaper that once offered its readers a full page of science every week has lost that commitment.
According to a survey by the Scientists' Institute for Public Information, only 44 weekly science sections remain from among a high of about 95 only a few years ago.
Award-winning science journalists are losing their jobs - a recent example being the elimination of the science section at the Dallas Morning News and the firing of three staffers.
Science communication must be encouraged and science writers must be appreciated.
The National Science Foundation's National Science Board has identified public understanding and appreciation of science and technology as essential for successful public policy for the benefit of society.
It is imperative that citizens are well-informed about the sciences and are equipped to make critical decisions. Scientific advancements are often highly technical and difficult to understand, yet all aspects of our lives have been changed by them.
Carl Sagan, the American astronomer who popularized science through the PBS series "Cosmos" and other works, explained the paradox best when he said: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
Science writers are essential to demystifying the sciences for our greater citizenry, and the dwindling number of outlets for their work threatens the dissemination of information.
Beyond the need for an informed electorate, we also must address the shortage of American scientists needed to ensure United States leadership in the global market.
As our nation produces fewer and fewer graduates in the key areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the numbers are rising in China, Japan and India. For example, the U.S. currently graduates fewer than 60,000 engineers a year, while China graduates more than 200,000.
According to the National Science Foundation, if this trend persists, more than 90 percent of the world's scientists and engineers will live in Asia by 2010. The National Academies has called this a "Gathering Storm" and the Association of American Universities is urging our nation's leaders in higher education, industry and government policy to reverse this trend.
To do so, many initiatives must be taken. First, we must work to rekindle students' interest in the sciences, helping them build a K-12 foundation that prepares them to pursue science or engineering at a research university. Second, we must arm the public with information in hopes it will support research funding. In that way, we not only benefit today, but just as importantly we ensure that these students will have jobs waiting for them when they graduate.
Science writers are an integral part of these efforts. When they bring science to our living rooms, they help build fundamental support within the electorate. They also inspire our children to join the campaign to secure our future.
Ours is a technology-driven economy, requiring innovations and breakthroughs to fuel the future. It can take decades for new breakthroughs to have commercial impact, and what happens now will dramatically affect whether we are competitive in 30 to 40 years.
Therefore, at Purdue we are making a call to recognize and appreciate those who pursue the science writing craft that is so vital. We are honoring leading science journalists as "science laureates" and would ask that other universities institute similar programs to showcase the importance of this field.
We must garner interest and support from students, who are the future decision makers of our nation and leaders of our economy, and we must write our newspaper editors explaining the importance of, and our interest in, science news.
Jeffrey Vitter is the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science at Purdue University. The Purdue Science Laureates Program is taking place Oct. 4-6 on Purdue's campus.
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