Steve Barton
RepublicanQ1 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“As I am originally an Engineer, and nearly majored in history of science, I’m better prepared than professional politicians to understand scientific evidence. Further, on controversial points, I tend to research what politicians babble and form my own opinions. Most politicians have very little understanding of real science.”
Q5 What are your opinions on the current state of science literacy, and how could K-12 education standards be adapted to form a better public understanding of and relationship building in science?
“Science literacy is low. Unfortunately most K-12 teachers “physical science” course required for licensure is stripped of math and amounts to handwaving, little more than Aristotle. (this is not true of high school science teachers as they often have better training) I believe it time to require new teachers to have at least one math-based physical science course so they can use examples from stoichiometry, Newtonian physics, Ohm’s law, and similar when constructing math problem sets – as math should be taught with science. This will also help then teach science in schools. Then, we also need to bring professionals like engineers and doctors into schools to help teach science with math”