Introduction of the Scientific Communications Act of 2007

INTRODUCTION OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 2007

* Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation that will better prepare our scientists to be professionally competitive and ensure that the American people benefit more directly from the large annual investment that we make in our research enterprise. I am proud to introduce the Scientific Communications Act of 2007. This program will train young scientists to more effectively communicate scientific and other technical topics to policymakers. The improvement in communications skills will also enhance the interaction of the scientific community with business leaders, the media, and the general public. This initiative will foster greater cross-disciplinary education and improve public access to scientific expertise.

* Innovation and competitiveness are at the forefront of public policy discussions. A key element to ensuring continued American excellence in science and technology innovation is providing our scientists with the skills necessary to offer their valuable expertise and insight to the public policy dialogue. By doing so, we will accelerate the speed with which the government, the media, and the general public are able to access information on new discoveries in science, technology, health and medicine, and other technical topics. Better access to expertise from our scientific community will ensure that we, the policymakers, can make the most informed and beneficial decisions possible when shaping new policy directions for our country.

* This legislation will provide resources to the National Science Foundation to expand its ability to offer communications training to scientists. Some training programs funded by the NSF and other agencies have already made the commitment to implement such training. For example, some awardees of NSF's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program provide communications training for their students. I applaud the forward thinking of those program administrators. Unfortunately these are exceptions, whereas training our scientists to be effective communicators should be a standard practice.

* This legislation is designed to encourage the integration of communications training into more scientific programs. This type of training will ensure that our scientists are better equipped to incorporate their expertise into the public dialogue on science and technology-related issues. Members of Congress should take particular interest in this initiative, since we regularly invite scientists to provide us with first-hand knowledge on such topics as climate change, nanotechnology, and new research into health and disease. To ensure that those important conversations continue to be fruitful, curricula for the science communications program proposed in this bill might include case studies of actual Congressional testimony by scientific experts to demonstrate the importance of clear and concise expertise in public policy.

* While the training provided within this legislation focuses on the interaction between scientists and the public policy community, the benefits will spread more broadly. The ability to clearly explain technical topics to nonscientific audiences will translate to other industries, all of which will benefit the United States research enterprise and, consequently, our economy. Training our early-career scientists to discuss technical topics with nonscientific audiences will have the effect of augmenting the engagement of the scientific community with other professional fields. This might, for example, lead to more frequent interaction with business leaders and venture capitalists to inform the private sector and investors about cutting-edge technologies and improve the transfer of research discoveries to the marketplace.

* The Scientific Communications Act of 2007 will add an important new dimension to the education of American scientists. The ability of the United States to remain an economic leader depends, in large part, on our continued successes in science and technology research and development. We must, therefore, ensure that our scientists are equipped with the skills to provide their expertise to policymakers, business and community leaders, and the general public. This initiative will enhance the dialogue on science- and technology-related topics and facilitate the development of fully informed public policy. I ask the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting this legislation.

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