"I'm voting for..."
sb admin | November 4, 2008The day is finally here. You've heard it from everyone, but I'll pile on...VOTE! Our final tally on the YouTube AVoteForScience challenge is 30 something videos from scientists endorsing Obama....and not one video from a scientist endorsing McCain. That seems to reflect a general consensus on the issue of who is better on science policy issues. It's too bad, really. It would have been nice to see a good justification for voting the other way if such an argument could be made on science issues. Here are two entertaining videos from the submissions.
Happy voting everyone!
mstebbins | November 4, 2008The day is finally here. You've heard it from everyone, but I'll pile on...VOTE! Our final tally on the YouTube AVoteForScience challenge is 30 something videos from scientists endorsing Obama....and not one video from a scientist endorsing McCain. That seems to reflect a general consensus on the issue of who is better on science policy issues. It's too bad, really. It would have been nice to see a good justification for voting the other way if such an argument could be made on science issues. Here are two entertaining videos from the submissions.
Happy voting everyone!
mstebbins | November 1, 2008We have our first submission from a couple! Bernice and Loyal Durand, two theoretical physicists from the University of Wisconsin have both endorsed Barack Obama. I think it's great that a couple would speak out about the importance of science together. Shouldn't be natural to vote together as well? Maybe this election day we should all take the tiny step of making sure all our loved ones vote.
Bernice Durand Endorses Barack Obama
Loyal Durand endorses Barack Obama
mstebbins | October 31, 2008Our latest AVoteforScience videos are up and a new article in Science talks about the effort and other grass roots efforts this year. I will note that Science forgot to mention that the AVoteForScience effort was done in partnership with Seed Magazine/ScienceBlogs. In fact, it couldn't have been done without them.
Of particular interest will be the video by Murray Gell-Mann who received the Nobel prize in physics in 1969. Murray reads the letter from he and 75 of his fellow Laureates in science encouraging the public to vote for Obama.
mstebbins | October 28, 2008Here are the latest videos in our AVoteForScience YouTube Challenge. They include videos from Dr. Jose Morales at Columbia University, Dr. Robert Dottin of the Center for Study of Gene Structure and Function (below) and beloved scienceblogger and marine scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum. You'll never guess who they are voting for this year? Now there is one little issue. Sheril has decided not to tell you who she is voting for. Hoy coy. Perhaps some polite nudging in the comments will get her to tell you.
Here is Robert Dottin...
mstebbins | October 27, 2008Today's AVoteForScience video comes from Dr. Kirsten (Kiki) Sanford, the incredibly talented host of This Week in Science, my favorite science radio show. If you haven't heard it, you can download it as a podcast from iTunes or here. OK, cards on the table, I am a regular on the show so I am a little biased, but seriously it is an entertaining romp through the world of science. So, check the show out.
Kiki speaks frankly about innovation, education and technology and the importance of electing a President with a track record of supporting science. If you are a scientist and want your voice…
mstebbins | October 24, 2008In a striking video that includes footage of the old Bell Labs building and a frank discussion of the loss of competitiveness in the US, Physicist Larry Jackel explains why he is endorsing Obama for President. See all the AVoteForScience videos HERE
mstebbins | October 24, 2008Here is the latest video from our YouTube AVoteForScience challenge. We will have a lot more videos coming in the week before the election. It is by John Dunbar, a microbiologist from New Mexico. He explains that leadership that is dedicated to fighting global warming is needed in the US and that he believes that Barack Obama is the right guy for the job. His disembodied head-style video is as ominous as his message. You can see all the videos HERE.
mstebbins | October 22, 2008We have had a fantastic response to our AVoteForScience YouTube challenge and the press has started to notice. I have done two interviews in the past 24 hours on the effort. If you are a scientist, get your videos explaining who you are voting for and why uploaded to YouTube and don't forget to tag them AVoteForScience so we can find them. I am noticing a lot of physicists uploading videos. Have biologists dropped the ball?
Here are some of the latest videos:
David Palmer an astrophysicist from New Mexico takes aim at John McCain and Sarah Palin's stances on science and endorses Obama.…
mstebbins | October 21, 2008A bunch more videos have been added to our playlist and favorites on the AVoteForScience YouTube challenge. Keep up the good work. If you are a scientist, take a moment to tell the world who you are voting for and why. We are still waiting for our first endorsement of McCain from a scientist. C'mon, I know you're out there. We want to hear from you.
Here are some of the latest videos:
Ed Fenimore: Rocket Scientist from New Mexico endorses Obama
Ilya Nemenman: Biophysicist from Los Alamos endorses Obama
Eli Ben-Naim endorses Obama citing scientists leaving the US to work in other countries.…
mstebbins | October 19, 2008A bunch more videos have been uploaded in the SEED Magazine, SEA Action Fund "A Vote For Science" YouTube challenge where we asked scientists to tell the public who they are voting for this election and why. So far we only have videos of scientists who are voting for Obama. However, a new report from The Scientist shows that there are in fact scientists voting for McCain. (I knew we weren't so homogeneous a community.) According to their not-so-scientific-but-really-interesting-nonetheless poll, 56% of scientists plan to vote for Obama, 39% for McCain, 4% for Bob Barr and 1% for Nader. So,…
mstebbins | October 17, 2008The latest video in the Seed, SEA Action Fund, AVoteForScience YouTube challenge is by Dr. Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University. He explains clearly that his view is partially colored by the last 8 years where science has been kicked around pretty badly and clearly spells out why he is supporting Obama rather than McCain. Again, any scientists supporting McCain, speak now. Simple instructions for uploading your videos can be found HERE and our YouTube channel can be found HERE.
mstebbins | October 17, 2008Our latest entry to the YouTube A Vote for Science challenge is by Marine Biologist Mark WestNeat. Dr Westneat is a Curator of Zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History, Director of the Biodiversity Synthesis Center, and Professor at the University of Chicago. He has provided a long list of reasons why he supports Obama. Unlike the other videos, Mark talks about his decision from the perspective of a scientist and as a fisherman and hunter. We will be featuring new videos every day on our YouTube AVoteForScience channel. Check them all out. Each provides a unique perspective. If you are…
mstebbins | October 16, 2008Our first 3 entries in our YouTube video challenge come from and extraordinary and diverse group of scientists including a prestigious computer scientist, an MD/PhD candidate in Missouri and a scientist and ScienceBlogs regular who is voting absentee from Canada. You can watch them all on the AVoteForScience YouTube Channel. Besides being scientists, they are also all voting for Obama. Where are the scientists voting for McCain? Surely there is one (with a video camera.) Bueller?......Bueller?
I was delighted to see our first entry by Ed Lazowska, the Bill and Melinda Gates Chair of Computer…
mstebbins | October 14, 2008All I can say is WOW! Vint Cerf, Google's Chief Internet Evangelist who also happens to be credited with co-founding the Internet, submitted a video to our AVoteforScience YouTube challenge. In it he discusses the importance of net neutrality and endorses Barack Obama specifically because he supports net neutrality (John McCain does not.) Did I say Wow? Upload your entry to YouTube today. Instructions can be found HERE. Don't forget to tag it "AVoteForScience."
mstebbins | October 13, 2008Scientists and Engineers for America Action Fund and ScienceBlogs have teamed up to bring you the AVoteForScience YouTube challenge. Are you a scientist? Tell the world who you are voting for this year. McCain? Obama? None of the above? Upload your YouTube video explaining who you are, who you are voting for and why you are voting for them. Tag your video with "avoteforscience" and we'll favorite it. Make sure to end your video with "My name is [your name] I'm a scientist and I'm voting for [insert your candidates name here]. Simple as that.
We will be featuring prominent scientists from…