During the Bush years, UCS surveyed scientists at nine federal agencies and a significant percentage of them reported that scientific infor- mation had been routinely distorted or suppressed when it did not support the administration’s point of view.
Given that recent history, UCS and others hailed the appointment of Holdren and other top scientists to the Obama administration as “ a dramatic shift” in the federal govern- ment’s willingness to consider only the best available science when formu- lating policy.
It is a point of view that Obama heartily endorsed. He made a rare mention of science during his inau- gural address, promising to “restore science to its rightful place.”
Nearly a year and half into his term, Obama has kept his promise with an ambitious science agenda. All of this has implications for Holdren, who directs the 70-person Office of Science and Technology Policy. The office is responsible for informing the president of the scientific and techno- logical implications of a wide range of issues, from climate change to nuclear disarmament.
The office has its roots in the ad- ministration of former president John F. Kennedy, who founded the office to offer recommendation during the space race with the Soviet Union.
The office became congressionally chartered in 1976, and was given the task of advising the president on the implications of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The law that established the office also authorized the science advisor to lead government-wide efforts to de- velop science and technology policies.
Before coming to the Obama administration, Holdren, 66, taught at some of the nation’s top research institutions. He was at the center of some of the most contentious and politically charged scientific debates, including climate change and environ- mental policy. He also briefed Obama on climate and energy issues during the presidential campaign.
Holdren served on the Harvard University faculty as the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmen- tal Policy. He was also director of the Woods Hole Research Institute in
16 USBE&IT I Deans Edition SPRING 2010
Falmouth, Mass. Previ- ously, he worked for years on the faculty at the Uni- versity of California, Berkeley, where he remains a professor emeritus.
During
his con- firmation hearing, Holdren
came under fire for his previous predictions, including his unfounded
The Obama administration wants to expand STEM education resources at HBCUs
predictions about what he saw as the devastating impact of climate change. In the 1980s, he said that famine due to climate could leave a billion people dead by 2020. Holdren was forced to back away from that assertion during his confirmation hearing.
‘’I think it is unlikely to happen,’’ he told the senators.
Still, Holdren sailed to confirma- tion. And in the nearly year and half his administration has been in office, Obama has dramatically increased the nation’s investment in science and technology, a down-payment on his promise to double such investment in three key science agencies—the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s laborato- ries—and to increase overall spending on research and development to fully three percent of the nation’s GDP.
All of which falls under Holdren’s purview, so he granted an interview with USBE to talk about those and other issues.
The conversation follows here:
USBE: Why are the engineering schools at historically black col- leges important to the country?
Dr. Holdren: One of the implica- tions of this administration’s recogni- tion that innovation is an essential
ingredient to our economic recovery and future success is that we need a more diverse pool of people entering the science and engineering work- force. A diversity of people, with a diversity of backgrounds, helps assure a diversity of ideas. And ideas are the genesis of all innovation. Historically black colleges and universities are helping in this regard. Some two- dozen HBCUs in the United States have engineering schools, from which about 700 African Americans earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering each year. In addition, five HBCUs award Ph.D.s in engineering, produc- ing about 30 African American engi- neering doctorates each year.
USBE: Where would the country be without them, when it comes to preparing African American engi- neers?
Dr. Holdren: Clearly the nation would be worse off without this added tributary of excellence for the engineering workforce. As I men- tioned earlier, Department of Educa- tion statistics indicate that a greater percentage of African American students in HBCUs select engineering or science as their major compared to African Americans enrolled in non- HBCUs. That suggests that when it comes to attracting minority students to these fields in which minorities are traditionally underrepresented, we are much better off as a nation with these
www.blackengineer.com
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