New AAAS Web Site Will Track U.S. Presidential Candidates’ Views on S&T Issues

With the U.S. presidential campaign still in its early stages, the AAAS Office of Government Relations has developed a Web site that describes and tracks the candidates’ positions on science, technology, and innovation issues.

The site is designed to be a one-stop, continuously updated resource useful not only to scientists and engineers, but to businesses, journalists, educators, students, and others interested in the future of the nation’s research enterprise.

It will detail the candidates’ positions and statements, with a particular focus on five areas: competitiveness and innovation; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and the workforce; climate and energy; health and medical research; and national security. It also will offer a range of other information, from reports, polls, and selected news articles to election calendars and event listings.

Joanne Carney

“The 2012 presidential election will have a direct, long-term influence on a range of science and technology policy issues, including U.S. research funding and STEM education for the next four years and far beyond,” said Joanne Carney, director of the nonpartisan AAAS Office of Government Relations. “We think it’s important that the many communities interested in U.S. science, technology, and innovation have high-quality materials to help them assess all the candidates during the campaign season.”

The new site—Science and Technology in the 2012 Presidential Election—is closely modeled after the site organized by AAAS for the 2008 campaign. The Office of Government Relations staff have compiled information from the candidate’s campaign Web sites and other sources to create candidate profiles, and staffers will add updates and new resources in the months leading up to the 6 November 2012 election.

“This site will be a must for anyone interested in an objective look at what the candidates have to say about a broad range of science and technology policy issues,” said Erin Heath, a senior program associate and the lead editor of the election Web site who will manage the site’s content.

The presidential campaign site is complemented by another Office of Government Relations project: a new edition of the book “Working with Congress: A Scientist’s Guide to Policy,”. The book and a related Web site offer extensive resources for researchers and others who want to build constructive engagement with members of Congress and congressional staff.

Released in late 2011, “Working with Congress” offers strategy and tactics for working successfully with policymakers, plus advice on effective communication. The related Web site includes primers on the workings of government, tips on how to work with Congress, a guide to upcoming events on Capitol Hill, and a library of additional online tools.

The Office of Government Relations oversees AAAS’s wide-ranging engagement with Congress and the Executive Branch. It includes the respected R&D Budget and Policy Program, and it provides briefing papers and tracks legislation on critical science-related issues.

In addition, it helps organize popular events such as the annual AAAS Forum on Science & Technology Policy slated for 26-27 April in Washington, D.C.

Edward W. Lempinen

3 February 2012