Scientist group offers advice to Obama

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. President-elect Barack Obama should choose science agency leaders willing to commit to reforms, a non-partisan science-based organization said Friday.

"The new head of any science agency must be committed to fundamental change in the agency's conduct and communication of science," said Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists director said in a news release.

Any nominee should protect scientists "who blow the whistle when science is being manipulated, suppressed or distorted," she said.

The organization said its surveys of scientists at 12 federal agencies during the past three years found 1,413 respondents who feared retaliation for expressing concerns about their agency's work.

Nominees should commit to a culture of openness, Grifo said, as well as value science as a "key ingredient in policy decisions." Concerning regulatory matters, nominees should pledge to explain how they arrived at their decisions and provide information on how they plan to "support and value" the expertise and input of staff scientists and scientific advisory committees, Grifo said.

Congress, she said, should make sure nominees know they are expected to create "conditions conducive to a thriving scientific enterprise" and "stand up to the White House if pressured to compromise scientific integrity."