Two Talks at the University of Wisconsin This Week

Thursday, November 4th (will be streamed live here):

The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell you About Global Warming
November 4, 2010
4:00 pm to 5:15 pm

SAGE Weston Roundtable Series

Refreshments served at 4 p.m., talk begins at 4:15 p.m.

Roger Pielke, Jr.
Professor, University of Colorado

Sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) Room 1106, Mechanical Engineering

Friday, November 5th:

The next Neuroscience and Public Policy Seminar will take place on Friday, November 5th.

Speaker: Roger Pielke Jr., Professor of Environmental Studies, Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder

Topic: What Roles for Scientists in Policy and Politics
When: Friday, November 5th, 4:00 p.m.
Location: 341 Bardeen Labs

Description: Under the Administration of George W. Bush, issues associated with scientists in policy making became a surprising hot topic. Allegations of a Republican "war on science" were followed by President Barack Obama promising to restore science to its "rightful place." But much of the optimism that accompanied President Obama's promise has been tempered by concerns that little has changed in Washington with respect to scientists in policy making. This talk argues that scientists, and experts more generally have choices about the roles that they play in today's political debates on topics such as pollution, genetically modified foods, and food and drug safety, just to name a few. This talk is about understanding these choices. I argue that rather than waiting for politicians to place science into its proper place (whatever you political allegiances may be) securing the effective use of science in decision making depends more on how experts manage that process. This talk will discuss the choices faced by scientists and other experts and the potential implications for the individual scientist and the broader scientific enterprise.