I think you might be thinking of when he said, "For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. WE WILL RESTORE SCIENCE TO ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."
I guess you could quibble with whether science's rightful place is only in the application of technology to improve health care and energy production. But I wouldn't. Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 [email protected] ________________________________________ From: Michael Britt [[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 12:59 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Obama talks about data and statistics As a stats teacher myself I heard that quote for sure. But what was it he said about "bringing science back to its rightful place" or something like that? Michael Michael Britt [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> www.thepsychfiles.com<http://www.thepsychfiles.com> On Jan 20, 2009, at 1:55 PM, Rick Froman wrote: I think it is possible that President Obama’s inauguration speech spoke to everyone. To a statistics teacher such as myself, he gave me a new signature file quote (see below). It is good to see the new President giving props to data and statistics. However, the next line is not such a positive example for my Research Methods students: “Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.” As a teacher of Research Methods, I have to protest that confidence is operationalizable and can be measured as well as the economic indicators listed as subject to data and statistics. That is probably a small point but it is fun to apply my limited perspective to such national events. Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor of Psychology Box 3055 John Brown University 2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> (479)524-7295 http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman "That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. . . . Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics." - Barack Obama – Inaugural Address January 20, 2009 --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
