State of the Union Annotated

Environmental & Science Education
STEM
Society
Culture
Edward Hessler

You may recall that the National Academy of Sciences provides a nearly instantaneous annotation of the annual State of the Union address.

They annotate by using their reports on matters of science, medicine, engineering. Their reports, written in response to requests from a variety of governmental agencies, are up-to-date status assessments on issues that vex us. They are based in evidence and are objective.

I always scan their annotations of the SoU to be reminded of the scope of NAS reports and to be reminded just how much science impinges (or often should) on legislation, government, governing, policy, and social issues. How important science is to decision making, not that it should be the last word but it should be a fully considered word so that the trade-offs we make are clear and as fully understood as possible.

So here is the NAS 2019 annotated State of the Union address.

Late.