If you are like me, you must have been following Barack Obama’s cabinet and policy picks very closely. This last week was an important one; Obama announced that the superintendent of Chicago schools, Arne Duncan, who is also the president elect’s longtime friend, will be his secretary of education.
Obama and his team also announced the selection of four scientists- John Holdren, Jane Lubchenco, Harold Varmus and Eric Lander, for various positions, either as advisors or section heads. If you are interested in knowing more about the details, you can search for these topics within the NY Times website: http://www.nytimes.com (free registration is required).
Overall, these picks indicate there will be no dearth of scientific acumen in the administration, but it can only be hoped that some of the egos that will also come along with the acumen will not hinder good decision making. There is no doubt that the new president will be dealing with a host of issues, including recession, rising unemployment, and record deficits at nearly every level of government, but ideally, he should continue to emphasize the need for improvements in the way the next generation is being educated, along with other essentials, such as increases in teacher salaries (a career in education will never make you a millionaire, but it shouldn’t make you a pauper either).
There are other issues that too that are close to my heart and need to be addressed, such as the current NIH pay scales for postdocs. Postdocs are the backbone of our science, and for too long, their needs have been deliberately neglected. Bad pay has always been a big issue, not to mention lack of benefits in some instances. It is tempting to assume that Obama’s advisers will look at ancillary issues in science as well, but only time will how far the administration takes its message of change. It will be nice to see, at some point, the agenda laid out clearly in print.
Let us end on a brighter note. This is the time to take a break and enjoy the festivities. Leave the lab, you lab rats. The gel can wait and so can telescope time (well, I know, sometimes it cannot). But try.
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
-Shailesh
