Sunday, Oct 11: Ensuring the Integrity of Science in the Federal Sector

The scientific method provides some inherent protection for the integrity of science, but since science is still largely a human endeavor, additional measures are sometimes needed. The role of science and technology in our lives requires that the best science be carried out with the highest standard of integrity. One might say our lives depend on it.

What do we know about how the integrity of science is protected? Why is it important? How does our government ensure that science is conducted properly? How well are measures to ensure scientific integrity working? Are additional measures needed? How does the future look? How will it affect our community?

Dr. Rama Kotra will describe the scientific method, scientific integrity, ways it can be compromised, how the integrity of science in the Federal sector is ensured, and why this is important to people. He will also touch on why faith communities should care about the integrity of science.

Deputy Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Science Quality and Integrity, Dr. Kotra is a geochemist and skeptic by training and temperament. He has been a research geochemist and science manager at USGS for over 30 years, before which he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Raised in India, Canada, and the United States, Dr. Kotra has undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Chemistry from the University of Madras, and a doctorate in geochemistry from the University of Maryland, Laboratory of Chemical Evolution.

As part of the Sunday Science, Reason & Religion Forum Series, the presentation will take place in the Sanctuary Building at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd. in Oakton, VA on Sunday, October 11 at 12:25pm.

Directions: https://uucf.org/directions/

This free event is open to the public.