We’ve written before about how important it is for the presidential candidates to let the public know where they stand on science issues. Now, the Scientists and Engineers for America Action Fund, in partnership with 15 prominent scientific and engineering societies, is asking Congressional candidates where they stand on science-related issues, including climate change, water, and research funding.

SEA and its partners developed a seven-item questionnaire and are sending it out to the candidates in districts where primaries have been held. They’re posting responses as they come in, along with additional information, like the voting records of incumbents – see their page on Danny Davis (IL-7) for an example. And they’re also asking that science supporters email their local candidates (you can find yours using their zip code tool):

We’d like to flood their in boxes today with hundreds of emails from concerned citizens.  Politicians pay attention to their voters, and together we can show that there is a constituency for science. We can make science and technology a prominent part of the 2008 elections.

If we’re going to tackle the many health and environmental challenges facing our country and our world, we’re going to need to fund research and strengthen science-based agencies. The next Congress’s approach to science will play a major role in determining how well we meet these challenges.