For years, scientists have insisted that science is not political. This has always been fiction. Yet recently, the politicization of science and scientific research has become increasingly visible. Political discourse has become more polarized, especially concerning scientific issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and vaccination policies. 

At the heart of this contention lies a persistent communication gap: Scientists and researchers frequently struggle to translate complex discoveries into language that the public can understand and policymakers can readily apply. At the same time, scientists often struggle to understand political dynamics and regulatory nuances. 

Many students, including our peers, often quip that the School of Foreign Service (SFS) was once “safe from science.” Historically, this makes sense. Fields like biology and political science have divergent histories. Yet as our understanding of the world evolves, the growing role of science in everyday life makes its political dimensions impossible to ignore. Therefore it is crucial that students in the SFS recognize the importance of the interconnection between science and politics. 

One of the core lessons we are taught in the science, technology and international affairs (STIA) program is that it’s nearly impossible to think about politics without thinking about science, technology or innovation. 

Today, scientific understanding is inseparable from understanding the consequences of political decisions. In many ways, informed and effective decision-making increasingly depends on grappling with the scientific dimensions of policy. Recognizing this reality, the STIA program recently launched a new publication, Science Politics, which directly engages with this pressing need to bridge scientific knowledge and political action. Perspectives once treated as separate from the political realm are now being considered alongside the policies and movements that shape our daily lives.

For example, a recent piece in Science Politics on fentanyl policy complicates the common belief that migrants are primarily responsible for smuggling the drug into the United States. This assumption, championed by the Trump administration, would suggest increased immigration enforcement is the logical solution to stemming the flow of fentanyl. However, the evidence indicates most fentanyl is actually trafficked by U.S. citizens — pointing instead to the need for greater investment in public health and international cooperation. Science Politics is a model of the conversations that are common in our classrooms and amongst our friends as well as in other schools of global affairs emerging in the United States and around the world. 

Science Politics fills a niche not only in the SFS but also in the global media landscape. It is essential to lower the barrier to understanding complex scientific issues, so as a community we can use these findings to enact real change. Developments in science and politics rarely occur in isolation. Instead, progress in one sphere often carries significant consequences for the other.

As undergraduate students, we must engage proactively with the underlying complexities and entanglements of science and politics, rather than view them as separate spheres. Developing our ability to understand these entanglements will allow us to make more informed decisions that will shape our future and possibly the futures of everyone around us. In order to better our society and planet, we need forward-looking solutions that reimagine the world we live in.

Science Politics reveals how a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between scientific and political systems can equip students and readers with the tools to navigate and shape an increasingly complex global landscape. This understanding not only clarifies the complexities of modern policymaking, but also helps people recognize the importance of informed, interdisciplinary thinking as science and politics continue to shape the world around us.

Avery Simon is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service.