I am already in DC, and SK will be arriving in about an hour--for a day in which we will do our first joint talk about the book together. It has been a long time coming. Tonight we will be at D.C.'s Politics and Prose for an event co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress (and Science Progress) and Research!America. These are the details:
Tuesday, July 28 7:00 PM Politics and Prose Bookstore 5015 Connecticut Ave, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 202-364-1919 Web site
Jonathan Moreno of the Center for American Progress, and Mary Woolley of Research!America, will jointly be introducing us. In fact, Research!America has also assigned the book to their "New Voices," a group of young scientists who are precisely the sort of heroes and role models of science in society that we want to see more of out there. As one of them, Heather Benson, puts it of the book:
The authors make it clear that what the scientific community needs is a shift in how we associate and integrate with the public at large. They show that the fault line between science and society is caused by both sides, and that only through changes in both sides can a bridge across be built.
Amen to that! We're also meeting with the New Voices today in Alexandria, to talk more about how we can change the culture of science to make political and public engagement more common and focal--in short, to create more "science ambassadors" and "Renaissance scientists." Research!America is one of the most important organizations out there working to turn today's younger scientists into effective advocates for science in policy, and skilled outreach experts from the world of science to the rest of society--and we're thrilled by their support.
