Executive Director's Notebook: The difference between science and policy
By Jim Ogsbury
Schrodinger and Heisenberg are driving in a car when they are pulled over by a police officer.
“Do you know how fast you were going?” asked the officer. Heisenberg answered, “No, but I can tell you exactly where I was.” Thinking that this odd response justified a search, the policeman looks in the trunk, finds a dead cat and asks, “Do you know that there is a dead cat in the trunk?” Schrodinger replied, “I do now!”
I don’t get that joke, but a number of scientists laughed when I told it during a recent visit to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a longtime sponsor of WGA. But in the same way that I don’t really understand science, many scientists are at sea when it comes to the development of public policy. While the world of science is methodical, linear and logical, the world of public policy can be messy, disorderly and chaotic.
Accordingly, I was pleased to accept UCAR’s invitation to visit them in Boulder and deliver a presentation, designed for scientists, about how to communicate effectively with policymakers. A principal message of the address: Policy decisions are made in a broad context in which the “right” solution is but one of many factors involved in determining a course of action. Others include cost, social values and political considerations. Scientists are well advised to recognize the competing pressures bearing on decision-making and to adjust their messaging accordingly.
The scientists at UCAR understand the central role that Western Governors play in the creation of public policy affecting the scientific enterprise. Consequently, they were attentive, engaged and asked great questions. A few even tried to explain the physics joke.
I still don’t get it.
Jim Ogsbury is the Executive Director of the Western Governors Association. Contact him at 303-623-9378 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.