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I am an engineer. I make decisions on engineering design, assembly, operation, inspection, and maintenance of engineering systems of all kinds based on data-driven facts.
The same dependence on factual truth is typical of scientist and medical practitioners. Who would feel comfortable with a surgeon’s advice if it were not supported by dependable diagnostics? Not on opinions or the personal agendas of others.
We live in a technologically intense world and that intensity is evolving literally by the day with the evolution of artificial intelligence into our lives and livelihood.
I have been elected a delegate to the Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention in May.
I went to a town caucus in Winchester recently, became a nominee to serve as a delegate to the state convention and like other nominees had to make a one-minute speech: I said, essentially, that in our technologically intense world more scientists, engineers and medical practitioners need to become involved with public policy, either as elected or appointed officials. That drew applause and I got elected.
We have such a lawmaker in Massachusetts: Seth Moulton has a Harvard physics undergraduate degree and graduate training in public policy. That combination is really in short supply in Congress today.
In an age where technology is so prominent in our lives Congress and the Administration should include more scientists, engineers and medics who are educated to work with factual truth. Decisions during the past year in Washington on food and nutrition, vaccinations, and medical care, renewables, land management, Artificial Intelligence and many other issues of importance to the public and to our nation are testimony to the absence of this guidance.
I urge scientists, engineers and medical practitioners to consider public policy careers as either elected or appointed officials.
I considered running for Congress in the 1980s, when I was in my 40s! I spent a year-long sabbatical in Washington as an advisor to the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.
There were many good people on this committee…Ron Paul who was a physician, Al Gore, Dan Glickman to name a few.
But as I met more members, I was struck by how many had no credentials in technology. This was a heady experience for a kid from the anthracite coal fields of Northeast Pennsylvania.
So, I considered running for Congress myself after meeting with members from both sides of the aisle, including Tip O’Neil.
I assembled a small group of friends and began planning. Ultimately, it became clear that understanding how to navigate MIT and help raise two kids took precedence at that point in my life and so I backed off of this plan.
But, if I today’s world were transposed back to that time, I would not have hesitated. My concern is not so much for myself - I may have lived through the best of the United States, which I regret thinking - but for the well-being of my kids and their kids…our five grandchildren.
I was brought up in a small town near Scranton of about 100 people, largely Polish or Ukrainian families. My mother taught me to be civil and respectful and that is how I have conducted my life. For all of the above reasons, I just cannot sit back today and watch all the nonsense coming from Washington.
I think it would be interesting if the people now leading the DoD [Department of Defense] understood the national imperative they are charged with leading. None of those I knew or had heard of as having such credentials are still there, have no voice or are reluctant to speak out.
When the Peter Thiel’s of the world exert their influence as he did with JD Vance there is little room for serious, knowledgeable people. What remains is a more chaotic game of national jeopardy.
This is just an ugly time in the U.S. when civility, respect and meaningful credentials are no longer attributes in the eyes of our president. Walking away from renewables as the Trump Administration has done is irresponsible from many perspectives and a demonstration of the lack of science knowledge in his space.
His science advisor is a businessman...Peter Thiel's former chief of staff. Michael Kratsios is the first director of OSTP without a science or engineering degree, but instead a degree in politics from Princeton.
Many of the president’s appointees are categorically unqualified to make decisions on vaccines (medicine), AI (science and engineering), military judgments, etc.
Though scientists, engineers, and medical researchers have a huge influence on society, they are extremely poorly represented as policymakers in Congress. At present it appears that only 10 members of the House and one in the Senate claim engineering degrees.
When considering scientists and medical practitioners that number grows to 40 or about 7.5% of the Congress. I believe that it would be of value to the nation if that number were increased. I am not suggesting that they should dominate Congress. But at their best they operate in a technically intense world with data driven facts not alternative facts, not personal opinions, and not personal agendas.
If that culture could be extended to the lawyers, business professionals and others who represent the largest fractions of the Congress, that might refresh our approach to sustaining our presence on this planet by encouraging evidence-based policy decisions in a civil, respectful and technically meaningful way.
The views expressed above are solely those of the author.
R.M. Latanision is the moderator of The Wilson Science & Technology Forum, editor-in-chief of The Bridge, NAE, professor Emeritus at MIT, and Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor at Purdue University.
