One of the most basic obstacles to the engagement of scientists with questions of public policy is lack of effective tools. Advocacy, bringing your background and your voice to the public debate, does not happen in a vacuum. It requires personal effort, yes, but it also requires the establishment of tools and processes that make advocacy accessible to people who would like to act on their concerns, but must also maintain other responsibilities, whether they be running a research lab or raising a child. If we’re going to have a broader representation of people with science backgrounds in our public discussions, then we need to find ways to mediate their participation. Otherwise, as a community we’re going to be the equivalent of your cranky friend who’s always bitching about politics but never makes that leap to action.

So how do we mediate active participation in policymaking in the scientific community? One excellent solution is to train some scientists specifically in public policy, and have them be “ambassadors” to both sides. The AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program is a wonderful example. However, while more specialized training is obviously appropriate for some individuals, our community is already pretty rich on specialized training. Scientists with formal public policy background are a vital asset, but how can we develop a better knowledge base regarding the policy context in which science and technology operate amongst the general scientific community?

In response to that question, I would direct your attention to a project recently initiated by Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) that provides an excellent daily summary of science policy news in a quick and accessible format. SEA operates the Science, Health and Related Policies (SHARP) network that tracks relevant information about both political candidates and policy news. Although the candidate information is invaluable, I’m finding the daily updates of SHARP news from around the country to be pure gold. It’s the perfect tool to (a) keep up with what’s happening in policy as it relates to energy, the environment, genetics, education, and any number of other topics, and (b) become generally informed about the issues being discussed and their contexts with the investment of only a few minutes a day. To my mind, these are the tools we need, and I highly encourage you to sign up for the SHARP network at SEA’s site and check out these updates.

P.S. Although the candidate information is, obviously, going to be mostly of interest to Americans, the daily updates contain a lot of information that is about our common concerns.