Science, slogans, and civic duty

We are beset with slogans for complex and controversial public issues that represent significant bodies of scientific knowledge. Public debate and action on these issues rarely adequately reflect such knowledge and seldom feature scientists playing central roles. Examples are assessment of educational effectiveness through assessment of student learning outcomes and the setting of scientific priorities across the full spectrum of scientific disciplines. It is an unfulfilled civic duty of scientists and engineers to engage themselves more fully and actively in public debate and action on important issues.