Here's an excellent opportunity to publicly question the Obama-Biden and McCain-Palin tickets about their views on some of the scientific aspects of broader public policy issues...

As noted in the most recent AIBS Public Policy Report, AIBS has joined with Scientists and Engineers for America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), IEEE-USA, Research!America, and The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services to cosponsor two debates between senior representatives of the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns.

The first debate, themed "Presidential Perspectives on Health," will be held at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on 18 September 2008, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Moderated by Julie Rovner, health policy consultant for National Public Radio, the debate will feature Jay Koshla, health policy advisor to John McCain and Dora Hughes, MD, MPH, health advisor to Barack Obama. Campaign representatives will accept questions from the audience. Individuals unable to attend the debate in person can view it via a web feed at http://sharp.sefora.org/candidate-forum/; questions can be sent in advance to Questions@SEforA.org.

If you're planning to attend in person, RSVP by 16 September to rsvp@SEforA.org or 202.223.6444 then go to:

Jack Morton Auditorium
Media & Public Affairs Building
The George Washington University
805 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC

A second debate on energy policy will be held in the coming weeks, likely at a university in California.

For further details about these debates and other information about the candidates' positions on science, visit http://sharp.sefora.org/.