Very Impressive Obama Science Appointments

In addition to Stephen Chu, named to be Secretary of the Department of Energy last week, the Obama administration has named John Holdren and Jane Lubchenco to key posts with science and technology responsibilities.

John Holdren is to be President Obama's Science Advisor. Currently he is Professor of Environmental Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program at the School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and director of the Woods Hole Research Center. He is a recent past president of the AAAS and was a member of President Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) from 1994 to 2001.



Jane Lubchenco is to head up President Obama's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admninistration (NOAA). She is an outstanding choice with a deep background in marine biology. Jane is also a past AAAS president, and past president of the International Council for Science and the Ecological Society of America. She founded the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program that teaches outstanding academic environmental scientists to be effective leaders and communicators of scientific information to the public, policy makers, the media and the private sector.