The 2018 midterm elections received a massive amount of press and were given many titles by reporters and analysts, all attempting to capture the national mood. Was it a blue wave or a blue tsunami? Was it a red tide? Some focused on the historic number of female candidates running for office, describing the elections as a pink wave. Others saw a suburban wave, as America’s rural and urban areas seemed to continue to drift apart.
However, for many in the research community, the events leading up to the 2018 midterm elections represented a political awakening of sorts. On April 22, 2017, over a million people across the globe Marched for Science, a diverse group of organizations and constituencies united around ensuring science has a seat at the policy-making table. Just a week later, over 200,000 descended upon Washington, DC, for the People’s Climate March. And, leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, a record number of candidates with science and STEM background declared their candidacies for office. Even BPS member and former BPS Congressional Fellow Randy Wadkins got in on the action, securing the Democratic nomination in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, but ultimately falling short in the general election.
Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, saw a science wave building, as he told Physicsworld:
“Over the past two years I’ve seen it developing. The marches for science in 2017 and 2018 suggested that scientists felt more publicly inclined and that the non-science public was asking them to be more publicly inclined.”
But, did all of these pro-science movements and candidates make an impact when the votes were counted? If we are to judge success based on the incoming House freshmen class of the 116th Congress, it appears that science will certainly be on Congressional radar. Nine new Members of Congress, four of whom are women, will bring a scientific background to their new legislative duties:
1.Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC): a former ocean engineer and an environmental attorney.
2.Rep. Jefferson Van Drew (D-NJ): a former dentist and a New Jersey State Senator.
3.Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL): received an undergraduate degree in molecular biology and biochemistry and a masters in biochemical engineering. Casten is a former entrepreneur and business executive.
4.Rep. John Joyce (R-PA): received an undergraduate biology degree and earned an MD from Temple University. Joyce was a dermatologist and active in prominent medical societies like the American Cancer Society before coming to Congress.
5.Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA): a nuclear engineer, she served for 20 years in the US Navy, commanding several technologically complex nuclear vessels.
6.Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): received an undergraduate engineering degree and pursued doctoral work at the Georgie Institute of Technology in astronautical engineering. Like many younger BPS members, Hern struggled to find his footing in academia and became an entrepreneur before his election. Interestingly, he fills former Rep. Jim Bridenstine’s seat, who was appointed to lead NASA.
7.Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA): an industrial engineer by training and a former high school chemistry teacher.
8.Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL): a registered nurse and a former senior advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services, serving in the Obama Administration. Underwood plans to focus on bioterrorism and better preparing the US public health system to respond to emergencies in office.
9.Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA): received an undergraduate degree in astrophysics and then attended the University of California, Davis, to complete her training as a pediatrician. Schrier also has type 1 diabetes and plans to focus on affordable healthcare issues while in office.
If you’re interested in following along with these new science Members, we encourage you to follow them on Twitter or visit their official government webpages (linked to in the above). The Biophysical Society is thrilled to see more Members of Congress with scientific backgrounds and looks forward to working with them.