If you want to see Obama and Romney devote time to addressing
important questions about science and science policy in a
publicly televised debate, you're going to have to fight for it.
Back in 2008, an independent citizens' initiative, known simply
as "ScienceDebate," pushed to have 14 such questions addressed
in a debate that would have been aired on PBS, but neither
Barack Obama nor John McCain would agree to participate. This
year, ScienceDebate 2012 is trying again. After gathering
suggestions from thousands of scientists, engineers and citizens
, and working in cooperation with a long list of science and
engineering organizations — including AAAS, The National
Academies, Scientific American and others — the initiative has
assembled a list of what it calls "The Top American Science
Questions in 2012." The list, which you'll find below, is
comprehensive, penetrating and measured. They are precisely the
kinds of questions that the future President of the United
States should not only be required to address,