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Science and Technology Medals Awarded

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the tack-it-on dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Boston Globe is reporting that President Bush awarded science and technology achievement medals today to 15 laureates. The list of medal winners includes those who have done work that has 'revolutionized organ transplants, led to development of global positioning systems, and helped feed millions around the world.' "

17 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Great! by laughingcoyote · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And since he's so up on the "spirit of discovery" being a part of American culture, he surely wouldn't cut funds for schools...

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    1. Re:Great! by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I believe the phrase is "keeping up appearances."

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      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  2. Know Thy Enemy by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He handed a medal to Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel prize winner for "general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory", and to Robert N. Clayton for his chemical analyses describing solar system evolution. Economic equilibrium, welfare and evolution - none of which Bush seems interested in the rest of the year.

    Maybe he thinks he's at the Olympics, and these medalists need his help to get corporate sponsors for some advertising dollars to, you know, kind of catapult the propaganda.

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  3. Re:Is it April 1 already?? by ScentCone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think the whole article is flamebait

    No doubt. Please also post later tomorrow so you can link to an article showing how those scientists have refused the awards and recognition, etc.

    Skipping to tomorrow: <crickets chirping>

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  4. Oh? Did he award one to that dropout at NASA? by geoswan · · Score: 3, Insightful
    What a joke. He appointed that militant fundamentalist to censor NASA. The kid was a dropout, who had never had a full-time job, and whose only qualification was that he had served on Bush's 2004 electoral campaign.

    Before he awards any Science awards he should fire all the ignorant political appointees he placed to oversee real scientists. He should fire anybody who is as incompetent and unqualified as "You are doing a heck of a job Brownie."

  5. Maybe it's too much to ask... by fortinbras47 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ...but it would be nice to see comments on the actual science and prize winners as opposed to ten million uninformative, reflexive Bush bashing posts.

    I'd like to know more about the science. I don't really if an individual poster likes or dislikes Bush.

    1. Re:Maybe it's too much to ask... by PornMaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      While I'm not a fan of discounting everything the man does, you have to admit that for him to present science awards is a bit like Microsoft handing out awards for open source development.

      This isn't meant to debate the principles, or even take away from the work of those given the awards, but it's rather plain to see that the President has made himself worthy of ridicule when it comes to science.

      Even if it's only symbolic, I'd rather see such things presented as national awards by noted scientists, perhaps with an appearance or a note from W congratulating the winners.

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    2. Re:Maybe it's too much to ask... by brufleth · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You've hinted at an issue that is very significant and rather scary in the United States.

      There are large groups of people in the US who despise the very science and scientists that make their quality of life as good as it is.

      Everything from postnatal care to cable TV is the product of science and directly improves the life of almost every single citizen of the United States. Yet there is a definite atmosphere of anti science and anti engineering while at the same time all our pollution and energy problems are supposed to be solved by some scientific breakthroughs in the future.

      This anti science attitude is not just completely a product of the right wing either. Plenty of moderates or even "left wingers" see science as something boring which inevitably goes on outside of their field of vision without need of any public support.

      I guess we're moving towards a society that expects massive innovation but shuns the very concept of scientific research and development.

  6. Re:And They Receive? by msbsod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Those awards are an asset to the researchers' CV. And that is what they need when they apply for a grant (real money).

  7. These are actually... by This+is+outrageous! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... the 2004 medals of science. Why do the 2004 medals get announced by the President in November 2005, and presented in 2006? Is this a tradition, or a reflection of current priorities...?

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  8. Golden Aren'tcha? by Nethead · · Score: 2, Insightful
    "...helped feed millions around the world."

    So Ray Kroc got one?

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  9. No climatologists? by Agelmar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Am I the only one who finds it odd that there are no climatologists on the list? There has been a lot of research in the area lately, with many significant results. Or perhaps that's the problem...

  10. Re:Oh? Did he award one to that dropout at NASA? by breadboy21 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You must be new to the politicial scene. If you'd be paying the slightest bit of attention you'd see that lower level positions are routinely given to lower level underlings in almost every administration. This goes for Clinton, Carter, Kennedy (brother for Attorney General anyone), and all the Republicans of the 20th century. What you should realize is that little political games (the Reno Justice department refusing to enforce laws it didn't like for example) are played all the time irrespective of who is currently in the white house. So save your indignation for a noble field, you won't find much to love here.

  11. Re:Inappropriate Behavior. by TubeSteak · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yea, I kinda agree with what you said... BUT, are you going to be that guy who blows off the President?

    Getting a Presidential award looks good for you, for the people you work for, and the people they work for.

    Taking a 'principled' stand and deciding to decline the honor might be a quick way to lose your job and any funding that goes with it.

    Science has its share of politics too.

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  12. Re:Inappropriate Behavior. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, it would have been really nice to see some of the people being given the awards decline them to show that the scientific community is not to be taken for granted, censored, or strangled by religious doctrine.

    You know, just to give Bush a good shove in the right direction and remind him that he needs science, not the other way around.

  13. Re:you too could perhaps do some reading. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Better Military Recruiters than gang recruiters. At least they can go to college when they are out of the military. If they join a gang instead, they'll just end up in a different institution, for a longer term, at the same government expense.

  14. Re:you too could perhaps do some reading. by brufleth · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You're forgetting the cost of mental and medical treatment after they get back from whatever war is being fought this week.

    I'm not trying to troll. The treatment of veterens costs a lot and lasts the life of the patient. It is certainly important that we support our veterans who have made such sacrifices but it sure would be nice if we didn't need to produce quite so many of them.

    Also, I think providing options besides wars in the streets or wars in the desert would serve everyone better.