I’ve returned to from a bit of hiatus and want to start with a discussion of how science might fare in the next Congress, and in the White House.

A year and half ago I wrote a post entitled Meeting of the Minds on Global Warming: The US Congress, Al Gore, and John P. Holdren.  It was post in which I highlighted a meeting among the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and Al Gore.  I lamented that Dr. John P. Holdren was not involved in the meeting.  Holdren is Harvard’s Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at the Kennedy School, as well as Professor of physics and environmental policy, and Director of Woods Hole Environmental Center.  When I wrote the earlier post, he was President of the AAAS.

It was announced just a few days ago that Holdren will be the next Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Significant about this appointment is Holdren’s research on climate change, and other significant science policy areas such as nucelar disarmament.  Holdren’ appointment is another signal that science “holds the key to our suvival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation.”

There is a very good chance that important and significant change will take place within the White House because of the recent appointments of not only Holdren, but the new Secretary of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration.  Listen to President-Elect Obama’s announcement of these science appointments and after listening, ask yourself as a science educator how his comments and these recent appointments might impact science education.