Cate Vojdik
AC360° Writer

Former Vice President Al Gore was the keynote speaker here at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) annual meeting in Chicago. He drew a huge crowd. I ended up in a packed overflow room forced to stand while watching his speech on a massive screen. The crowd seemed to love him, and he beamed the love right back to them. In hard-core science circles, Gore is, for the most part, a rock star. His success in bringing global attention to climate change has earned him entrée into a community that has struggled to communicate its message to mainstream media for decades.

Gore gave big props to President Barack Obama, for appreciating science and pledging to restore it to its appropriate role in policy-making. He noted that in recent speeches President Obama has mentioned that his political hero, Abraham Lincoln, had a knowledge of and respect for science. Gore also thanked many of the scientists in the room who have mentored him over the years, helping him to master the knowledge that underpins his advocacy.

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