Decade of Behavior 2000
Officially Launched at Capitol Hill Event
In a setting reminiscent of the pomp and grandeur of times past, a group of politicians, policy makers, interested citizens, and scientists joined in a high-tech celebration this September on Capitol Hill. The occasion was the formal launch of the Decade of Behavior, a multidisciplinary initiative highlighting how behavioral and social science research will help address the challenges facing our society.
The sense of a new era of cooperation and communication between science and the public, and between science and policy, was echoed in remarks made to celebrate the opening. Rep. David Price (D-NC) read a congratulatory letter from President Bill Clinton commending the efforts of the Decade of Behavior initiative. The congressman then commented:
There is a lot going on in the social sciences, and it has a tremendous potential for human betterment, to contribute to good public policy and to enlightened attitudes on the part of our citizenry . By understanding behavior, we hope that we can improve human behavior and that society will benefit.
This call was repeated by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), who said:
What this Decade of Behavior is about is taking the information that you develop in your research clinical work applied work consulting, and bringing it to the governmental process, to inform governmental decision making. Thats what is so exciting about the Decade of Behavior. I personally believe that if we can apply what we have learned in the behavioral scienceswe can save this nation billions of dollars over the coming decade, if we apply ourselves well, if we do good research, and if we apply that research to public policy...well have performed a great service to this great country.
It was not hard to be infected with a sense of optimism about the potential of behavioral and social sciences to meet this challenge. Thirteen research exhibits, presented in engaging and interactive displays, showcased leading behavioral and social scientists whose research addresses each of the five major themes of the initiative: improving health, increasing safety, improving education, increasing prosperity, and promoting democracy.
Now that the launch event is past history, the Decade begins its work in earnest. This includes a public education campaign about the relevance of behavioral and social science research findings, programs to increase collaboration across the behavioral and social sciences, and efforts to translate research findings into the public policy arena.
Many projects and events are planned over the next several years. For more information about the Decade of Behavior, log onto
www.decadeofbehavior.org.
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