WASHINGTON - August 13 - The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today announced that Jesse Springer, of Eugene, Oregon has won the 2009 "Science Idol: the Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest." The competition draws attention to the work that must be done for the Obama administration to fulfill its pledge to "restore science to its rightful place."

Springer's cartoon depicts a politician who has removed the letters "s-c-i-e-n-c-e" from the words "Endangered Species Act." The politician says, "There! Now it doesn't make any sense at all!"

(To see the winning cartoon, go to www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol. High-resolution images are available for reuse.)

"There's a lot of room for oversight," says Springer. "This is a really tricky time for those who hoped that Obama's election was going to be a start of something new. We need to point out the commitments that President Obama has made and hold his administration accountable to them."

The Science Idol competition seeks to spark conversation about how to prevent government leaders from censoring, manipulating and distorting scientists' findings on issues ranging from public health to global warming.

Springer, who also won the contest in 2007, is a graphic designer and editorial cartoonist for the Eugene Register-Guard. He is a member of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists.

This year's contest featured 12 "all-stars" from previous UCS calendar contests. Springer's cartoon, along with the other 11 finalists, will be featured in the UCS 2010 scientific integrity calendar, available for purchase at www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol.