Time to choose the 2009 Science Idol

Justin Bilicki, an art director in Brooklyn, NY won last year's Science Idol contest

The annual cartoon calendar contest is one way the Union of Concerned Scientists raises awareness of scientific integrity issues.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has opened voting for its fourth annual Science Idol cartoon contest.

This year UCS invited celebrity cartoonists to submit editorial drawings on the issue that’s been bugging the scientific community for years: political interference.

The cartoon drawing the most votes will grace the cover of UCS’s 2010 Scientific Integrity Calendar.

After voting for your favorite cartoon you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a calendar. Votes must be made by August 12.

Something not funny: The UCS documented some examples of scientific research that has been "manipulated, suppressed, distorted" in a take-off on the periodic table of the elements, The Ato Z Guide to Political Interference in Science.