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Barack Obama
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Obama co-sponsored and voted YES on the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (S. 761), a bill "to invest in innovation and education to improve the competitiveness of the United States in the global economy." The House version of this bill (H.R. 2272) became law in 2007.
"My administration will increase funding for basic research in physical and life sciences, mathematics, and engineering at a rate that would double basic research budgets over the next decade. We will increase research grants for early-career researchers to keep young scientists entering these fields. We will increase support for high-risk, high-payoff research portfolios at our science agencies. And we will invest in the breakthrough research we need to meet our energy challenges and to transform our defense programs."
As for science funding, there is a subtle, but significant clarification [in Obama's 11-page science plan]. Whereas before the campaign had been stating that they would double the basic science research budget for science agencies across the government, now they are saying that they will "double (the) budgets of key science agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology over the next ten years."
From Melody Barnes, senior domestic policy adviser to the Obama campaign: "Senator Obama believes that we have to double scientific research funding, so that we can take advantage of the enormous talent in the United States, and we can regain our global competitive edge."
"Q: How would you change the system to make American students competitive on the world scene? A: [One thing is] emphasizing math and science instruction, finding innovative ways to make it interesting for students. This is an area where the president has the power to use the bully pulpit and to make math and science interesting and vibrant again. One of the things that I'm always struck by when I talk to engineers and scientists who are in their 50s and 60s is how many say they were inspired by JFK and the space program for going into science and math. And one area where I think we could actually do that is to really make a huge effort around energy independence. And if a president is talking about the importance of us engaging in research and development, doubling the amount of research dollars that are being put into basic science and basic research, all that can help lift up the importance of these areas of study for young people who basically take their cues from the larger culture."
"If we want to development math and science curriculums, we've got to make math and science jobs attractive, which means increasing research grants. This is something that is important not just for our competitiveness, but also for our long-term national security. And when Bush requests $196 billion for next year's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is seeing a flatlining of investment in science research, that makes it more difficult for us to encourage our children to go into sciences."
2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University Oct 30, 2007
"...If we are going to discard those embryos and we know that there is potential research that could lead to curing debilitating diseases...if that opportunity presents itself, then I think, in a careful way, we should go ahead and pursue that research..."
"I strongly support expanding research on stem cells. I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order, and I will ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight. I recognize that some people object to government support of research that requires cells to be harvested from human embryos. However, hundreds of thousands of embryos stored in the U.S. in in-vitro fertilization clinics will not be used for reproductive purposes, and will eventually be destroyed. I believe that it is ethical to use these extra embryos for research that could save lives when they are freely donated for that express purpose. I am also aware that there have been suggestions that human stem cells of various types, derived from sources other than embryos, make the use of embryonic stem cells unnecessary. I don’t agree. While adult stem cells, such as those harvested from blood or bone marrow, are already used for treatment of some diseases, they do not have the versatility of embryonic stem cells and cannot replace them. Recent discoveries indicate that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed to behave like stem cells; these are exciting findings that might in the future lead to an alternate source of highly versatile stem cells. However, embryonic stem cells remain the 'gold standard,' and studies of all types of stem cells should continue in parallel for the foreseeable future."
In November, Obama issued his proposed education policy, a 15-page document that included a single paragraph at the end regarding how he would pay for the $18 billion per year initiative. The most expensive aspect of the initiative, support for pre-kindergarten education efforts, would be paid for in part by "delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years," according to the document. (Although not specified in the policy itself, media reports indicated that Obama would leave $500 million a year for preserving the manufacturing and technology base while Constellation was put on hold.)
While apparently not supportive of Constellation (the campaign has not publicly addressed the topic since the policy’s release last month), Obama does not appear to be openly hostile to human spaceflight. When approached by members of the Mars Society after a New Hampshire rally, Obama was interested but non-committal in that organization’s goal of human Mars exploration. "I'm inspired by the idea of going to Mars," he said, according to an article on Wired.com. "I'm also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now."
"As president, I will establish a robust and balanced civilian space program. Under my administration, NASA not only will inspire the world with both human and robotic space exploration, but also will again lead in confronting the challenges we face here on Earth, including global climate change, energy independence, and aeronautics research. In achieving this vision, I will reach out to include international partners and to engage the private sector to amplify NASA's reach."
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's position on space exploration continued to evolve Sunday as the Illinois Democrat endorsed a congressional plan to add $2 billion to NASA's budget and agreed to back at least one more space shuttle mission.
"I recently introduced the 'Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education (STEM) Act of 2008' that would establish a STEM Education Committee within the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to coordinate the efforts of federal agencies engaged in STEM education, consolidate the STEM education initiatives that exist within the Department of Education under the direction of an Office of STEM Education, and create a State Consortium for STEM Education. These reforms will strengthen interagency coordination at the federal level, encourage collaboration on common content standards and assessments for STEM education at the state and local levels, and provide a mechanism for sharing the latest innovations and practices in STEM education with educators. I also recently sponsored an amendment, which became law, to the America Competes Act that established a competitive state grant program to support summer learning opportunities with curricula that emphasize mathematics and problem solving."
"My administration will work to guarantee to students access to strong science curriculum at all grade levels so they graduate knowing how science works – using hands-on, IT-enhanced education. As president, I will launch a Service Scholarship program that pays undergraduate or graduate teaching education costs for those who commit to teaching in a high-need school, and I will prioritize math and science teachers. Additionally, my proposal to create Teacher Residency Academies will also add 30,000 new teachers to high-need schools – training thousands of science and math teachers. I will also expand access to higher education, work to draw more of these students into science and engineering, and increase National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate fellowships. My proposals for providing broadband Internet connections for all Americans across the country will help ensure that more students are able to bolster their STEM achievement."
Obama sponsored creating online database of science and math scholarships which directs the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain, on the public website of the Department of Education, a database of information on public and private programs of financial assistance for the study of postsecondary and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
"There is another aspect of our educational system that merits attention. Institutions of higher learning have served as the nation's research and development labs. These institutions train the innovators of the future. Here too, our policies have been moving in the wrong direction. Each month, scientists and engineers visit to discuss the federal government's diminished commitment to funding basic research. Over the last 30 years, funding for the sciences has declined as a percentage of GDP. If we want an innovation economy, then we have to invest in our future innovators--by doubling federal funding of basic research over the next five years, training 100,000 more engineers and scientists over the next four years, or providing new research grants to the most outstanding early career researchers in the country. The price tag is $42 billion over five years. We can afford to do what needs to be done. What is missing is national urgency."
"Q: How would you change the system to make American students competitive on the world scene? A: [One thing is] emphasizing math and science instruction, finding innovative ways to make it interesting for students. This is an area where the president has the power to use the bully pulpit and to make math and science interesting and vibrant again. One of the things that I'm always struck by when I talk to engineers and scientists who are in their 50s and 60s is how many say they were inspired by JFK and the space program for going into science and math. And one area where I think we could actually do that is to really make a huge effort around energy independence. And if a president is talking about the importance of us engaging in research and development, doubling the amount of research dollars that are being put into basic science and basic research, all that can help lift up the importance of these areas of study for young people who basically take their cues from the larger culture."
"If we want to development math and science curriculums, we've got to make math and science jobs attractive, which means increasing research grants. This is something that is important not just for our competitiveness, but also for our long-term national security. And when Bush requests $196 billion for next year's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is seeing a flatlining of investment in science research, that makes it more difficult for us to encourage our children to go into sciences."
2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University Oct 30, 2007
U.S. Senator Barack Obama today praised the Senate Appropriations Committee for supporting microbicide-related research in the appropriations bills that fund both the Department of Health and Human Services and USAID. Microbicides represent a unique female-initiated method of HIV/AIDS prevention that could be a critical element in a comprehensive strategy to fight this pandemic.
"The increased investments I support for medical research at the NIH may yield discoveries that reduce the cost of drug development, and we may produce new methods to prevent diseases that are costly to treat. But efforts to control costs also should make greater use of the tools for prevention and clinical management that already exist; enlist more effective participation of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the NIH; and encourage investments in healthcare and health research by the private and not-for-profit sectors."