With the continued federal deficit and expense redistribution from the war to homeland security, physical sciences are feeling the pinch. The Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) is getting the brunt of money cut, missing out on $23 million of requested funding. In response, SLAC is laying off 125 of it’s 1600 employees and shutting down its PEP-II collider in March.
The PEP-II collider was scheduled to be shut down in September, but this was still quite a jolt. Here’s a picture of DtaS’ recent tour of SLAC, perhaps tours will be the only thing going on at this facility in the future.
Our friends over at the Cal Academy of Sciences have started a new informal science venture: The Bay Area Science Forum. In collaboration with UC Berkeley and Stanford, BASF is an interactive dialogue to facilitate more informed decisions….much like a science cafe without the booze.
After an open vote, Water resources was chosen as a topic for this 3 month, 3 event discussion. The first event is March 13 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. I will definitely be attending, I encourage everyone else to come out as well.
Below is my friend’s personal experience with the medical/pharamaceutical industry over the past 15 years. I suspect the story is not unique and underlines the profound lack of trust many feel with the industry. Without further ado….
I’ve had a couple of long-term conditions (migraines, chronic back pain after a back surgery) over many years, and so I’ve been to the doctor more frequently than many people my age (mid-30s). Since my early 20s, I’ve noticed a dramatic uptick in my doctors’ pill pushing.
Partly I think it’s managed care, which dictates that I only get 10-15 minutes with my doctors, so they really don’t have time to get to know me, to look at the “whole patient.” A pill solution signifies to the insurance company and to me that they are Doing Something.
Partly it’s our health care model as a whole, which is focused on putting out fires, not on preventative care or health maintenance, alternative approaches, encouraging exercise, etc.
And then there are the BigPharma reps I see in the elevators at the medical buildings, dressed to the nines with their little wheelie suitcases of samples, making rounds.
You may have noticed over the past few months….the plethora of political debates, myriad of formats (sitting down, standing up, standing in reverse order, blatantly partisan liberal moderator, blatantly partisan conservative commentator). One thing I’ve noticed, the topics are always the same. Not that these are important issues, but how many times do we need to hear the same thing?
A grassroots movement has developed in order to have the candidates debate scientific issues. The folks over at Science Debate 2008 have created a tremendous movement, now with the support of 20 Nobel laureates & 10 members of Congress along with thousands of others.
Here’s a list of topics to be covered in the science debate:
The Environment
* » Climate Change
* » Conservation and Species Loss
* » The Future of The Oceans
* » Fresh Water: Drought, Pollution, Ownership
* » Population Growth and Its Effect on Environment
* » Renewable Energy Research
Health and Medicine
* » Global Diseases and Pandemics
* » Stem Cell Research
* » Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
* » Drug Patents, Generic Drugs
* » The Genome
* » Bioethics
Science and Technology Policy
* » Scientific Innovation and Economic Growth
* » Improving Science Education
* » Space Exploration
* » Preserving Scientific Integrity in Government
* » Energy Policy
Do you know where the candidates stand on these issues? Take this quiz to find out.
DtaS is taking December off, we'll be back in January with another great event
Science in Action Events Science in Action is a series of tours, trips, and hikes intended to put you in the middle of active science in the Bay Area.
If you're interested in attending, send me an email.
