In a New York Times op-ed, Temple mathematics professor John Allen Paulos questions the dearth of scientists among U.S. politicians. He notes that eight out of the nine top government officials in China have scientific backgrounds. In the U.S, more politician-scientists would be "a welcome counterweight to the vast majority of legislators … who are lawyers." Given the complexities of our technologically sophisticated world, the U.S. could benefit from more scientists in government, he wrote.