Chuck Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term in the US Senate, is concerned about the politicization of science, but fears that any official responsible for stopping it could become politicized.
Michael Franken, who is campaigning for Grassley’s seat, says the government should dismantle giant agricultural monopolies and promote regional food hubs to make Iowa farms more sustainable.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate John Norwood says sequestering carbon in the soil could increase farmers’ incomes while improving soil productivity and reducing flooding.
Cindy Golding, candidate for Iowa House District 83 in eastern Linn County, says that before officials can determine that a vaccine should be mandatory, an impartial, peer-reviewed investigation must answer questions about its safety, effectiveness and other qualities.
Rick Stewart, who is on the Libertarian ballot for governor, says politicians should get out of the energy business and let the free market determine the role biofuels play in the state’s energy portfolio.
They and others seeking office in the Nov. 8 election answered a questionnaire that puts candidates on the record about science, science-related policy and evidence-based decision-making . The Iowa Science Policy Candidate Poll, iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/, injects research and science into campaigns, ensuring these vital subjects have an audience. Candidates often advocate policies based on their party’s economic or ideological principles, but rarely publicly weigh the consensus of scientists and researchers. Instead of rationally considering proposed laws, politicians look for selective evidence to support their opinions and blur the facts.
Voters deserve to know whether and how politicians will use sound research to address key issues like climate change, groundwater contamination and public health. Our coalition of more than a dozen Iowa science, agriculture, health and environmental organizations believes that science in the public interest, publicly supported research, and laws and regulations based on peer-reviewed evidence will improve life of Iowans.
The Iowa Science Policy Candidates Poll gives voters a one-stop location to find the contenders’ views on climate change, science-based decision making, vaccinations and more. Our nonpartisan coalition sent the survey to all nominees for federal, state, and legislative office — more than 200 in all. We are publishing the answers without editing, comments or endorsements at iowasciencepolicy.weebly.com/.
Getting so many civil servants and would-be civil servants on the register is difficult. If candidates in your area (or those running statewide) have not responded, we hope you will encourage them to respond. You can find their email addresses and phone numbers on the site.
Three groups, ASPIRE from Science Iowa and Iowa State University and the Connecting Science to Society (CSTS) student groups at the University of Iowa, led the coalition of Iowa organizations. ASPIRE and CSTS are chapters of the National Science Policy Network (NSPN), a nonprofit organization that encourages early career scientists to engage in science policy, advocacy, and diplomacy.
NSPN supports similar surveys across the country. Because this is the third questionnaire Science Iowa has developed and the second involving ASPIRE, CSTS and other organizations, NSPN often cites our effort as an example.
In addition to Science Iowa, ASPIRE, and CSTS, partner organizations that provided input to the survey include:
The Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Conservation Districts, Iowa Public Health Association, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, Citizens’ Climate Lobby – Des Moines Chapter, Citizens’ Climate Lobby – Iowa Great Lakes Chapter, Drake Environmental Action League, Society of Physics Students at the University of Iowa, Association of Sustainable Agriculture Students at Iowa State University, Iowa State Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science , Science for the People at Iowa State University.
Together, these associations represent thousands of Iowans. They and all citizens deserve to know how science will be used by elected representatives to improve their lives and the lives of future generations.
Science Iowa President Dan Chibnall is the STEM Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Science at Drake University. Annabelle Lolinco is a Ph.D. candidate at Iowa State University studying students’ learning of chemistry in context. She is the co-founder and president of Advocating Science Policy in Research and Education, the student chapter of the National Science Policy Network at Iowa State University. Riley Troyer is a graduate student at the University of Iowa studying the Northern Lights. He is also the co-founder and president of Connecting Science to Society, the student chapter of the National Science Policy Network at the University of Iowa.
