Why This UC Berkeley Scientist is Planning to Take on Washington in 2018
February 22, 2017
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
SAN FRANCISCO – Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the scientific community has become politically mobilized in the wake of partisan opposition to scientific research including climate change. Now, one scientist has decided to not only protest, but become a candidate.
Michael Eisen, an evolutionary biologist at U.C. Berkeley, announced his plans to run for the Senate in 2018. In an interview with Gizmodo, Eisen said his goal was to bring a “scientific perspective to the political process itself.” He said he didn’t want to become just another vote to support climate change legislation, but wanted to show how a scientific method of collecting data and applying reason was as practical an approach to politics as it is in science.
“I’m struck by how infrequently people in Washington want to actually understand [scientific issues.] That to me is the thing that’s most broken,” he told Gizmodo. “People don’t seem interested in having their preconceptions challenged. If you did that as a scientist you’d have a very short career.”
Eisen will seek the seat currently held by longtime Washington insider Sen. Diane Feinstein of San Francisco. Eisen will run as an independent candidate, which he said is likely to hurt his chances of winning votes, but is necessary in making a stand against partisan politics. Eisen said as a candidate he intends to champion climate change legislation, as well as food production, agriculture police and geo-engineering, an idea that the Earth’s climate system can be “hacked” to cool the planet back down, Gizmodo said.
Eisen is not alone in being a politically motivated member of the science community. On April 22, scientists and science enthusiasts from across the country will participate in a number of marches in multiple cities, including Washington D.C., to champion science.
“The mischaracterization of science as a partisan issue, which has given policymakers permission to reject overwhelming evidence, is a critical and urgent matter. It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted,” the March for Science organization says on its website.
Another newly formed group, 314 Action, is training members of the scientific community on public policy issues and become an advocate for the “integrity of science and its use.” The newly-formed organization is pushing for more elected officials to come from science backgrounds.
“We need elected officials who understand that STEM education is the new path forward, vital for our future and will ensure that our educators have the necessary funding to teach STEM curricula and our students have the resources to learn,” the organization said on its website.
Not only will scientists march, but Gizmodo said at least one other scientist beside Eisen plans to seek public office. Tracy Van Houten of Los Angeles, an aerospace engineer working in the U.S. space program, plans to run for a seat in Congress.
In January, a group called 500 Women Scientists penned an open letter to the president seeking greater support not only of scientific progress, but also of the women in the field. The women said the letter was a step against “anti-science and anti-knowledge sentiments”
The anti-knowledge and anti-science sentiments expressed repeatedly during the U.S. presidential election threaten the very foundations of our society. Our work as scientists and our values as human beings are under attack. We fear that the scientific progress and momentum in tackling our biggest challenges, including staving off the worst impacts of climate change, will be severely hindered under this next U.S. administration. Our planet cannot afford to lose any time,” the open letter on the website leads off saying.