LAST THURSDAY, Dr. Jack Gibbons, former science advisor to President Bill Clinton and head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, conducted a talk on the importance of science and technology to Virginia and the gubernatorial election. In this talk, Gibbons made it clear that Virginia and the United States in general is falling behind foreign competitors in education and tech-based jobs. In addition, he noted that there is a gap between the state government and a scientific way of thinking about current and future policies. This issue is especially important now as today is, after all, election day.
Without a doubt, the advancement of science and technology has done more for our economy and standard of living in the past few centuries than any other discipline. As Gibbons noted, these advances were responsible for 50 percent of our economic growth in the past century -- the rest being due largely to population growth, the use of new resources and specialization due to trade. Even more amazingly, since the 1970s when many environmental policies first came into effect, energy efficiency has increased by 40 percent. As Gibbons pointed out, this "effectively made more energy resources."
Yet at the same time, there is a growing disconnect from America's past as a leader in science in technology. This is a huge problem for Virginians and for all Americans, because as Gibbons noted, "our future as a state is innately tied to our nation's ability to innovate and keep ahead of global competition." To be clear, it is not inherently a bad thing that many service and technical jobs are being outsourced to growing economies like India or China. There is a problem, however, when there is an overall lack of commitment to newer, even more advanced jobs.
There is a disparity within Virginia, as there are examples of both what to do and what not to do in relation to the changing world economy. "The successes of Northern Virginia and at Hampton Roads in global trade show we can compete," Gibbons said, while at the same time "south and southwest Virginia have been devastated by job losses in manufacturing." As a result, Gibbons calls this gubernatorial election a "critical crossroads" in planning for the future of our state.
Though Gibbons was very careful not to endorse a specific candidate for governor, his own political leanings were made very clear through derisive comments about President Bush. Nonetheless, his lack of an open endorsement of Democrat Tim Kaine suggests Kaine's disconnect with Gibbons' own recommendations and points towards whatRepublican Jerry Kilgore has to offer.
To their credit, both candidates promise to better both K-12 and higher education, though beyond this tacit agreement they diverge significantly. On his Web site, for example, Kilgore discusses the growing technological disparity mentioned by Gibbons, and promises to provide scholarships "to encourage Virginia students to seek engineering degrees." In addition, Kilgore wants to establish internship and other cooperation opportunities "specifically focusing on the areas of mathematics, science and technology." This will provide students with real-world experience, and will most importantly allow them to develop ties and connections that will hopefully keep them within Virginia after graduation. Kaine, on the other hand, only vaguely mentions possible scholarships for "careers that serve the community." He says nothing about correcting the disparity made evident by Gibbons.
Beyond education, Kilgore devotes an entire section of his Web site to improving technology and growth through the Virginia Advances Research Alliance -- a focus on technology that is noticeably absent from Kaine's list of important issues. Some of the key provisions of the Alliance will be to expand private and government investment in research and technology, which was one of Gibbons' main recommendations. In addition, Kilgore promises to provide incentives for business and high-tech industries, especially in underdeveloped areas such as southwest Virginia. All of this is absent from Kaine's platform.
Having listened to Gibbons' discussion, it is clear how important technology and science are to Virginia's future. It is important on election day, therefore, that we analyze each candidate's platform in relation to this issue. Kilgore devotes extensive time to building and retaining an edge in high-tech jobs and research, and more importantly he goes into detail about how he plans to accomplish these goals. Kaine, however, only briefly mentions a couple of these issues in passing, and even then offers no actual plan for how to achieve anything.
Allan Cruickshanks' column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at acruickshanks@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | YesterdayLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 3 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
