Navigating two worlds: Making science work in the policy world

Background/Question/Methods

As a long-time Congressional staffer (especially as Chief of Staff of the House Committee on Science), columnist for Nature, visiting professor, participant in training programs such as the Leopold Fellowships; and now as Director of Government Affairs at an environmental organization, I have had the opportunity to work with scientists (including ecologists) to help them navigate their way through the policy and political world.   Battles over such issues as climate change, the health consequences of air pollution, acid rain provide lessons on ways scientists should (and shouldn’t) approach the political sphere.  We will look at how science and politics do and should intersect in this era of intense ideological polarization.

Results/Conclusions

Scientists need to have an understanding of the political world to participate in it, not view it as an alien or even a not fully legitimate sphere.  Scientists need to be sensitive about the often blurred line between scientific and policy conclusions when laying out their work or advocating for a position and aware of factors other than science that legitimately influence policy.  And scientists need to avoid thinking of public officials as being either too much like or too much unlike themselves.  These and other principles, observations and suggestions will be discussed using concrete examples of scientists interacting with public officials and the media.