The Meg & Sam Flax Lecture Series on Public Policy Presents:

Prof. Richard Barke

Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy

FOOD & BEVERAGES PROVIDED

   ● Why don’t policymakers take expert scientific advise more seriously?
   ● How does S&T expertise get into the policy process?
   ● Can a good scientist or engineer be a good policymaker?
   ● What strategies and tactics can Tech students and alumni use to have more impact?
  
After graduating from Georgia Tech (Physics), Professor Barke earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Rochester.  He has advised agencies in the U.S. and abroad, the U.S. Congress, and companies on how to incorporate expert scientific advice into public policy. In this lecture, he shares what he has learned over the years about the effectiveness of scientists in political arenas. Examples include cases from FDA, EPA, FCC, NASA, and the U.S. Congress.

 

Professor Barke’s research focuses on the roles of politics within science and of science within politics, and the regulation of risk (particularly the FDA). Dr. Barke has written about topics such as the political behavior of scientific disciplines, the politics of science budgeting in Congress, and how scientists translate scientific findings into policy recommendations. Recent works involve the decision making processes by which science and ethics are reconciled in the regulation of research, particularly research involving human subjects and in nanotechnology. Currently he is writing a book about political, cognitive, and economic obstacles to long-term policy making.