7-11 July 2019
EV77 - CEL 6: Science Is Not Enough (Daxon)Orlando IV 06:45 - 07:45 |
| This is not a science presentation. It is a presentation about how science does and how it should interface with politics, the population at large and decision-makers. The genesis of this talk was a question from a four-star general in 1984, “Is it safe?” General Lawson was referring to depleted uranium (DU). I was an Army captain at the time and a newly-minted health physicist. My answer started with, “Sir, there is always a risk of cancer…” That was about as far as I got. At this point, General Lawson made it clear that my answer was “unsatisfactory.” He asked the question again, “Is it safe?” My second response was more succinct, “Yes sir.” That incident started my quest to find a way to communicate radiation risk in a manner understandable to decision-makers and non-health physicists. Up until the late 1990’s, my answer was the same as everyone else’s answer – leaders and the public needed more training. While working to develop an Army-wide DU training program, I decided to look at the problem from a different perspective. I assumed that the issue was not with the public but with we health physicists and the process of scientific investigation. This talk was first given to the annual meeting of the American Association of Aerosol Research in October 2001. My work with Gulf War veterans and my experiences both before and after this first talk reinforce the veracity of the concepts presented and the solutions proposed. As mentioned earlier, this is not just a science presentation. It is a presentation that addresses the interactions of science/scientists with the non-science world from a unique, holistic vantage point. Specific objectives: · Describe the “language” barriers generated by our scientific methodology. · Demonstrate the ability to translate the language of science into the language of politics and the language of the general population. · Identify how our current scientific methodology can cause harm. · Identify the steps you can take to mitigate the harm and the personal toll of taking science into the political sphere. |
