The Rightful Place Project

Received this today:

In his first speech as President-elect last November, Barack Obama reminded us of the promise of "a world connected by our own science and imagination." And on Tuesday, in his inaugural address, President Obama cemented his commitment to a new ethos and culture by vowing to "restore science to its rightful place."

At Seed, we are firmly committed to President Obama's vision and want to help make it a reality. We begin today by asking you, our friends and colleagues in science, and outside science, to respond to the President's idea of a "rightful place" for science. What is science's rightful place?

Restoring science to its rightful place in government and in wider society will be no simple task; it will demand fresh ideas, the engagement of America's scientists and engineers, and the collaboration of other cultural and social institutions.

On Tuesday we bore witness to a milestone with multiple facets: the victory of racial equality, the demise of anti-intellectualism, the triumph of hope over fear, and the evolution of democracy itself. Today we also entered a new era of curiosity, open inquiry, and hard work in pursuit of something bigger than each of us. History will call this the birth of our scientific renaissance.

We invite you to share your thoughts and comments on the rightful place of science. Send text, audio, video, image to responses@rightfulplace.org or join the conversation on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rightful-Place-Project/46391575761

Kindest regards,

Adam Bly
Editor-in-Chief, Seed