Obama Administration Adopts Lugar Science Envoy Program
Congressional Desk
November 04, 2009
In her speech today at the "Forum of the Future" in Marrakesh, Morocco, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the creation of a U.S. Science Envoy Program which will send three of America´s most prominent scientists to travel the world to engage their counterparts, deepen and develop partnerships in all areas of science and technology and to "foster scientific and technical collaboration."
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar first proposed the creation of a Science Envoy program in April of this year. His legislation (S.838) was unanimously passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In introducing the bill, Lugar noted that the U.S. has produced more Nobel Laureates in the sciences than any other country. Additionally, he noted that international polling data consistently demonstrates that the U.S. lead in technology advancement and scientific thought garners high praise from nations throughout the world, even in countries not supportive of U.S. foreign policy.
"I am pleased that the Administration agrees with me that scientific cooperation is a vital component of our nation´s public diplomacy. The three Envoys announced today are all recognized experts in their fields and will send a clear message that the United States is committed to deepening our engagement with other nations. The freedom of thought and expression necessary for serious research is a hallmark of our nation´s democracy and economic prosperity. I look forward to hearing from the Envoys upon completion of their travel and look forward to more Envoys will be announced in the coming months," Lugar said.
The three Envoys are:
Dr. Bruce Alberts is currently chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. He was born in Chicago and served two, six-year terms as President of the National Academy of Sciences from 1993-2005. He has served as the editor in chief of Science magazine since March 2008.
Dr. Elias Zerhouni was born in Algeria, came to the United States at age 24 and completed his medical training at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He served for six years from 2002-8 as the Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the world´s premiere government-run research facility. He is currently a Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins and sits on the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Ahmed Zewail was born in Egypt and completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In 1999 he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar first proposed the creation of a Science Envoy program in April of this year. His legislation (S.838) was unanimously passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In introducing the bill, Lugar noted that the U.S. has produced more Nobel Laureates in the sciences than any other country. Additionally, he noted that international polling data consistently demonstrates that the U.S. lead in technology advancement and scientific thought garners high praise from nations throughout the world, even in countries not supportive of U.S. foreign policy.
"I am pleased that the Administration agrees with me that scientific cooperation is a vital component of our nation´s public diplomacy. The three Envoys announced today are all recognized experts in their fields and will send a clear message that the United States is committed to deepening our engagement with other nations. The freedom of thought and expression necessary for serious research is a hallmark of our nation´s democracy and economic prosperity. I look forward to hearing from the Envoys upon completion of their travel and look forward to more Envoys will be announced in the coming months," Lugar said.
The three Envoys are:
Dr. Bruce Alberts is currently chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. He was born in Chicago and served two, six-year terms as President of the National Academy of Sciences from 1993-2005. He has served as the editor in chief of Science magazine since March 2008.
Dr. Elias Zerhouni was born in Algeria, came to the United States at age 24 and completed his medical training at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He served for six years from 2002-8 as the Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the world´s premiere government-run research facility. He is currently a Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins and sits on the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Ahmed Zewail was born in Egypt and completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In 1999 he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
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