Science and the white house

Rigden replies: I agree with Lawrence Cranberg’s concern about the lack of science in the education of US leaders; however, he does not identify what he means by “science education.” He mentions German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has a PhD in physics—a robust science education indeed. Cranberg surely cannot hold that as a standard.

Except in the rarest of instances, the only way departments of physics touch future national leaders is through introductory physics courses. Those equation-driven courses do not, in my judgment, qualify as a science education. I suggest that the value of an introductory physics course, six months after the final exam, is negligible. Specifically, I wager that adults who once took an algebra- or calculus-based introductory physics course are unable to discuss common physics phenomena and cannot demonstrate a better understanding of basic physical concepts than can those adults who never saw the inside of a physics classroom.

Physicists talk about the need for a science-literate public, but I fear they squander their only opportunity to work toward that goal.