Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Sometimes, It’s Lonely To Be The Only Physicist In Congress

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol June 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol June 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

There have never been a lot of scientists in Congress, but currently there’s just one: Bill Foster, a Democrat from Illinois, who has a Ph.D. in physics. As part of a week long series about science, Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson talks to Foster about science policy, funding, and why it’s important for America to be the leader in scientific innovation.

View other stories in our series, “Science In America.”

Guest

Bill Foster, U.S. Representative from Illinois. He tweets @RepBillFoster.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.