The Best of Times - The Worst of Times
Details
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 3:00 PM PDT/6:00 PM EDT, The Freethought Society and the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara will host Dr. Jeremy M. Berg, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and is a
former Science Magazine (2016-2019) editor-in-chief.
His presentation “The Best of Times - The Worst of Times” will highlight that since World War II the United States has enjoyed an enviable international leadership position in science, driven by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. The potential for science to address key societal challenges is profound. However, the first year of the current administration has been tremendously damaging to the American scientific enterprise with un-precedented grant delays, terminations, “realignment with agency priorities,” staff terminations, and more. The traditional scientific establishment has largely complied in ad- vance, cowered in fear, or worked “behind the scenes,” but some groups and groups have stepped up with more activist approaches. Members of the public, who depend on advances made by science for health and economic prosperity, must be engaged to understand what is happening and to speak out.
The link to view this Zoom event is below: