despite financial crisis, obama could have major impact on science and technology
With the pressing financial crisis and foreign affair crises facing the country, President-elect Obama has made it clear that he recognizes the importance of science as a practical tool in addressing matters of national and international importance such as energy dependence, global warming and health care.
And while the financial crisis may limit funding for research, hundreds of billions of dollars exist in flexible funding programs that gives Obama plenty of latitude to fund many new projects. Obama also appears poised to quickly implement many new policy changes that could help to further U.S. research (and undoing George W. Bush’s mess): from expanding embryonic stem cell research to taking a lead role in crafting a replacement for the Kyoto Protocols on global climate change. Here’s an interesting article from the AAAS about the changes we might expect after Inauguration Day:
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/1223obama_forecast.shtml
