With the 2016 elections right around the corner (please vote!), our prayers to the science gods were answered and we were graced with a surprise visit from Shaughnessy Naughton. Not only is she the founder of of the 314 PAC, a political action committee aimed at providing support for scientists interested in running for political office, she is also a recent contender for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District Democratic ticket. The Science Soapbox team loves nothing more than a scientist working to alter the state of the scientific drought plaguing our legislation, so we were thrilled to chat about engaging the scientific community, the state of politics, and the channels in between.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during the show:
- Check out 314 PAC to learn more about their mission, see the candidates they’re supporting, and join their pro-science movement.
- Science Soapbox friends at the Science Education and Policy Association (SEPA), ScienceDebate.org, and The Young Turks Network teamed up to host a star-studded panel at YouTube Space NY on the state of science in our politics. You can watch the video here.
- We referenced a Conservative PAC — called the ClearPath Action Fund to back candidates who support action on climate change. You can learn more about it in this New York Times piece.
- Avital mentioned our interview with AAAS Director of the Early Career Scientist Segment, Adam Fagen, which you can listen to here.
- Shaughnessy mentioned two other people running for office with backgrounds in science. If you didn’t get a chance to write them down, they’re Katie McGinty for Pennsylvania Senator and Andrew Zwicker for New Jersey General Assembly.
- And just as a fun throwback, check out this 2012 OpEd from The New York Times, Why Don’t Americans Elect Scientists?
This episode was recorded on November 1, 2016 in the Rockefeller University Outreach Lab. Special thanks to Visager for music.