Science in a Political World: a conversation with Dr. David Baltimore and Dr. France Córdova

Although the politicization of science has garnered global attention as we combat COVID-19, it is not a new phenomenon, or one that will fade anytime soon. From the introduction of heliocentrism in the 1600's, the teaching of evolution in the early 1900's, and the use of embryonic stem cells in research in the early 2000's, to current disagreements over anthropogenic climate change and genetic modification, the interplay of science and politics has been, and will be, with us for years. Join us for a conversation on politics, science, and policy with two experts who have navigated the intersection of these worlds for much of their careers.

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David Baltimore is president emeritus and the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology, Caltech. He is also a senior science advisor for the Science Philanthropy Alliance, National Academy of Sciences' chair of the International Summit on Human Gene Editing, and was president and chair of the American Association of the Advancement of Science. He is an accomplished researcher, educator, administrator, and public advocate for science and engineering and is considered one of the world's most influential biologists. He received his B.A. in chemistry from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1975 in Physiology or Medicine for his research into viral replication that provided the key to understanding the life cycle of retroviruses, Dr. Baltimore has profoundly influenced national science policy on such issues as recombinant DNA research and the AIDS epidemic.

France A. Córdova is a senior science advisor for the Science Philanthropy Alliance. Most recently, she served as the 14th director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Córdova is President Emerita, Purdue University; Chancellor Emerita, UC Riverside. She has been a leader in science, engineering and education for more than three decades in both higher education and government, including service in five presidential administrations, at several universities, and with three federal agencies. Dr. Córdova's previous roles include chair of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and on the board of trustees of Mayo Clinic and as NASA's chief scientist where she received the agency's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal. She earned her B.A. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology.