September 2018

The seventh annual Golden Goose Award Ceremony was held on September 13 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to honor federally funded research that is misunderstood as obscure and inconsequential and that has resulted in “tremendous human and economic benefit.” Members of Congress joined the honorees in recognizing the importance of federally funded scientific research.

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), who envisioned this award almost two decades ago in hopes of recognizing the significant economic and human gains of federally funded research and has since been nicknamed “father goose,” provided opening remarks. He was followed by Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR). The American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Universities co-chair this event. AERA is a proud supporter of the program.

One of three groups of awardees included Mahzarin Banaji, Anthony Greenwald, and Brian Nosek, social and behavioral scientists who pioneered the study of implicit bias and the Implicit Association Test. The test asks takers to categorize pictures and words to measure speed and accuracy while associating attributes like “good” and “bad” with diverse images. Through their work, the scientists explored how difficult it is for individuals to unlearn their own implicit bias, even when actively trying to do so. These discoveries have significant implications for educators.

More information about the other awardees and complete coverage of the event can be found on the Golden Goose website.