The late astronomer Carl Sagan said, "We have built a society dependent on science and technology, but are structuring our educational system so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a recipe for disaster". Do you agree, or disagree, and why?

There are anti-science bills introduced and reintroduced every year, wasting time, money, and people's energy just to avoid pushing education back to the dark ages.

4. Education. A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 17th, while average U.S. math scores ranked 24th. What role do you think the federal government should play in preparing K-12 students for the science and technology driven 21st Century?

Many young people today don't understand the relevance of science to civics, governance or the economy. "Science civics" is a team-taught curriculum that introduces students to the philosophy of science as it relates to citizenship, and the important relationship between democracy and evidence, and between science and freedom, that led to the founding of the United States and to its eventual world leadership.

How would you foster a national perspective in which STEM achievements are as desirable as sports or pop music to American students? How would you help new STEM graduates find rewarding jobs or start new businesses?

There are multiple postings regarding the importance of defining scientific theory, the scientific method, as well as directly questioning a candidate's stance on whether they believe in evolution, global warming, etc. I would like to know if a candidate has a stance, or even an awareness, of the effects of anti-science PR campaigns such as that sponsored by the Discovery Institute in regards to public education.

Between 1985 and 2000, the United States averaged three times more science and engineering graduates than new job openings each year (Vivek Wadhwa, Bloomberg Businessweek, October 26, 2007). Currently, less than one-third of science and engineering graduates are working in a STEM [science, technology, engineering, or mathematics] field closely related to their degree, while 65 percent of science and engineering graduates are either employed in or training for another career field within two years ("Science and Engineering Indicators 2010", Table 3-4; also, Lowell & Salzman 2007, "Into the Eye of the Storm", page 31).

How can Americans understand genetic tests if genetics and evolution are poorly (or incompletely) taught in schools. The cost of sequencing the human genome will be less than $1,000 by the end of 2012 and the price is likely to continue to fall. Within 10 years, genome sequencing and numerous genetic tests will be available to patients. Already companies like 23 and me and other companies provide estimates of disease/traits based on genome sequence.

American kids, being as smart as kids anywhere in the world, would be crazy to study for a career that lasts only a few years after graduation, and that typically ends with a capstone project of teaching a lower-paid immigrant how to do his job.

There is a major push in the K-12 community to promote STEM careers. Many young men and women are preparing for a future in STEM careers. The nation must ensure there will be employment opportunities for our future generation that commits to STEM Careers in the still unpredictable economic environment.

http://criticalthinking.org

contains intellectual standards that act as a checklist for decision making.

What are your plans for the ascendance of nanotechnology in the United States? Do you have a comprehensive plan similar to the concentration of American education vis-à-vis the post-“Sputnik moment” of the 1960s – 70s?