"From the earliest days of our nation, Americans have led the world in scientific achievements," Shaheen said. "The devaluation of science in the last eight years threatens these achievements and endangers our future."
The United States should return to making policy decisions based on science rather than ideology, increase federal funding for research, stimulate private sector investment in research and development and build a workforce with the skills needed to succeed in an "innovation economy," Shaheen said.
Shaheen criticized the Bush administration for elevating ideology over science when forming policy on issues such as global warming and embryonic stem cell research -- a particularly salient issue for Shaheen, whose granddaughter was recently diagnosed with diabetes.
She also alleged that the Bush administration changed a fact sheet on the National Cancer Institute's web site to indicate a link between breast cancer and abortion, and has placed individuals with clear conflicts of interest in government positions.
"George Bush and his allies have been putting this research job engine at risk," Shaheen said. "Too many of our policy decisions are grounded in ideology rather than scientific evidence. That's been a grave mistake."
In her remarks, Shaheen tied investment in research to economic growth, arguing that the United States cannot compete with India and China for low-wage manufacturing jobs, but can compete in the arena of technological innovation.
"America's future is in maintaining the cutting edge in science in technology, creating new jobs in new industries," she said, adding that the federal government must invest in basic research to give private industry the needed tools to create new technology.
The development of global positioning systems and the internet both depended on government-funded basic research, Shaheen said. In recent years, however, government investment in science and technology as a percentage of gross domestic product has been declining, according to Shaheen.
"This is precisely the wrong way to go when our success in the global economy depends on our ability to innovate," she said, noting that federal funding for basic research was also essential for homeland security.
In addition to increased spending for basic research, the United States must also focus on improving math and science education in order to maintain its position as a world leader in those disciplines, Shaheen said. American 15-year-olds rank in the bottom half on international math tests, she said, and only 15 percent of American undergraduates receive degrees in the natural sciences or engineering.
Suzie Harding, a West Lebanon, N.H. resident who attended the meeting, said she believed Shaheen had picked a "hot topic" and agreed with Shaheen's emphasis on the importance of enhancing education in math and science, and with her criticism of the Bush administration.
"Certainly, [the Bush administration's] decisions are based on ideology, and not scientific understanding," Harding said.
Shaheen is campaigning against incumbent Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., in the 2008 U.S. Senate race. Shaheen previously served three terms as governor of New Hampshire before unsuccessfully running for Senate against Sununu in 2002.
