We were delighted in March when President Obama issued a memorandum on scientific integrity, stating, “Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration on a wide range of issues.” The memorandum gave the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 120 days to “develop recommendations for Presidential action designed to guarantee scientific integrity throughout the executive branch,” based on six specific principles.

OSTP in turn is asking the public for comments that will help it craft the recommendations. If you have thoughts about scientific integrity in the federal government, and the recommendations that OSTP should give to the president, submit your comments by next Wednesday, May 13th. Details about what kind of comment OSTP is seeking and how to submit comments are in the Federal Register notice; also, the Union of Concerned Scientists, which has been a leading voice for scientific integrity over the past several years, has posted a webpage that includes links and information for those preparing comments.