“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” – Isaac Asimov -1920-1992 – writer, professor

 

“Most people think they want more money than they really do, and they settle for a lot less than they could really learn.” – Earl Nightingale – 1921-1989-Author-Radio Personality

 

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire – 1694-1778 – French Writer

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unconventional and unorthodox Paul Conforti)

President Mary Kay presented annual CU Sunrise Rotary Vocational Scholarship Award in the amount of $1,500 to Champaign Central Senior Kyleah Rogers. Kyleah has been accepted to UIUC. Kyleah has been a leader at school. She is a member of the African-American Club, Zero Degrees of Separation, the National Honor Society, band, track and has had a part time job the past three years.  Kyleah’s scholarship application talked about not just finding her own way but about bringing up others along the way.  Kyleah has been invited to join our June 10th Rotary meeting.

CU Sunrise will resume in person meetings on Thursday, June 3 at 6:30am at Lodgic.

 

PROGRAM

Tom Ulen introduced our speaker Jake Bowers, Associate Professor, in Political Science at UIUC.  Jake primarily studies how methods and data from science can apply to the world of public policy making.

His presentation was an overview of university and government collaborations in evidenced-based policy making. To quote a statement from the Brown University Policy Lab, of which Jake is a part of, “…It is common nowadays to agree that policy should be evidence-based. But how to deliver on that rhetoric in practice is harder. We need not only the highest quality scientific methods, but also a pragmatic mindset geared toward designing learning agendas that can concretely inform decision-making within the bureaucratic and political trenches…”

 The US Social and Behavioral Science Team (SBST) was founded in 2015 under President Obama (also known as The Office of Evaluation Sciences). Per their website, SBST translates findings and methods from the social and behavioral sciences into improvements in Federal policies and programs. Jake was a part of this team which eventually morphed into the Brown University Policy Lab. The Policy Lab is comprised of professionals from government, education, and community groups. They collaborate on research presenting evidence-based research about how to improve policies and programs.

One example of this intersection would involve the introduction of the HPV vaccine. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. Widespread immunization with the HPV vaccine could reduce the impact of cervical cancer worldwide. Public policy crafted by using scientific evidence can lessen resistance to getting the vaccine because of unsubstantiated assumptions that the vaccine would only promote sex.

Jake is also a science fiction enthusiast and concluded our discussion this morning with an open discussion of the topic. Authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson (Mars trilogy), Kornbluth & Pohl (The Space Merchants) and Issac Assimov (too many to list).

 

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  May 27th June 3rd June 10th June 17th
Introductions   Michelle Barbey Keith Brandau Eddie Bridges
Reflection Ata Durukan Ondine Gross Mary Hodson Larry Johnson
Greeters   Michelle Barbey Keith Brandau Eddie Bridges
  Bob La Charite Phyllis Mischo Scott Paceley
Song Leader        
Notetaker Perry Hodson Conforti Perry
Decker Weeding Mischo      
Next Weekend & Johnson      

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom through May*

 

May 27th – April Ranger, C-SPAN (Cary)

June 3rd – *Begin in-person meetings* Teresa from Lodgic (Charlie)

June 10th – Mike Step, District Governor

June 17th – Jon L. Seydl, Director of Krannert Art Museum (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

July 1st – Club Assembly

July 8th – TBD 

July 15th – TBD (Bob)

July 22nd – TBD (Cary)

July 29th – Club Social

August 5th – Club Assembly

August 12th – TBD (Charlie)

August 19th – TBD (Mary)

August 26th – TBD (Ondine)

September 2nd – Club Assembly

September 9th – TBD (Tom)

September 16th – TBD (Bob)

September 23rd – TBD (Cary)

September 30th – Club Social

October 7th – Club Assembly

October 14th – TBD