Big Post-Election Changes Coming to the Business of Science

The day after the election, one thing was clear to me: The business of science is going to change on a number of fronts. Every new administration brings uncertainty over federal funding of science, but this election could have even further reaching effects, especially on the heels President Obama who has said: "Being pro-science is the only way we make sure that America continues to lead the world." Scouring social media and news reports this week and talking with several peers all involved in the business of science communications and consulting, a few themes emerged: 1. Tech bubble floats farther away "We've been living in a bubble in a bubble." That statement from a friend of mine yesterday, who is also in the business of sci-tech communications, was echoed in many other places this week, including this excellent story in the New York Times about Silicon Valley. Farhad Manjoo writes: The deeper worry is that tech is out of step with the national and global mood, and failed to recognize the social and economic anxieties roiling the nation -- many of them hastened by the products the industry devises. Tech companies already operate in a bubble-like manner -- almost their own city-states -- where people eat, sleep, play, and yes, code. And among the companies with the most audacious goals, there is a pervasive optimism about the world and its possibilities that is often detached from the realities that many Americans face. (I am guilty of this as well.) Many ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news