Cartooning science misuses

A scientist sits at her bench, a microscope at hand. Behind her, five balding men in scruffy suits crouch together, peering over her shoulder. One wears the label "govt." The researcher tilts her eyes back. "'Scuse me fellows -- but you're blocking the light."

This drawing, by Matthew Shultz of Brooklyn, NY, is one of the 12 winning cartoons that address the government's misuse of science, presented in the Union of Concerned Scientists' 2008 calendar.

Cartoons are a natural tool to demonstrate misuse of science, says Michael Halpern, outreach coordinator for the scientific integrity program at UCS. There are "numerous professional cartoons on political interference in science, just because it's an absurd practice that's easy to lampoon through cartoons."

In the second annual contest, the organization received approximately 400 entries from artists who heard about the contest through the UCS network (150,000 strong), or invitations posted on art blogs and related Web sites. To narrow it down to 12 entries, the UCS relied on a panel of cartoonists: Dave Coverly, creator of the syndicated cartoon Speed Bump; the Washington Post's Tom Toles; Garry Trudeau, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the syndicated cartoon Doonesbury; and James McLeod, last year's winner of the UCS cartoon contest.

Once the judges narrowed the entries to the top 12, UCS polled its visitors for their favorite cartoon -- earning the contest the name "Science Idol." After logging almost 20,000 votes, the public selected a cartoon by Jesse Springer of Eugene, Oregon, as the winner. The image depicts a science brushing dirt off of the word "TRUTH," as a man with the title "federal govt" shovels dirt on top of the same word. For his success, Springer earned $500 and lunch with Toles, also a Pulitzer Prize winner.

The calendars cost $10, and can be purchased on the UCS Web site. The organization sold "a few thousand" last year, says Halpern. The calendars give people "a good laugh," he says, and keep the concept of scientific integrity in their minds year-round. "It's not an issue that comes and goes in a season. This is a persistent problem."

Click here to see a slideshow of the 2008 calendar winners.

Do you have a favorite? Tell us here.

Alison McCook
mail@the-scientist.com

Links within this article:

Science idol: The scientific integrity editorial cartoon contest
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/science_idol

A. McCook, "Sizing up Bush on science," The Scientist, October 1, 2006.
http://www.the-scientist.com/2006/10/1/32/1