"Science and technology have never been more essential to the defense of the nation and the health of our economy..." George W. Bush

"...it's about protecting free and open inquiry. It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us." Barack Obama

John H. Marburger III currently serves as the presidential science adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and will do so for the remaining few days of the Bush 43 administration. The Bush administration took the position down a notch in the pecking order of presidential advisers which, in effect, relegated Marburger's White House access to out of site, out of mind. While this reduction in stature of the position seemed to give Marburger some free reign to make statements about global warming and intelligent design which were in obvious conflict with those of his bosses, his mavericky quotes were more likely to be seen (in newspapers), not heard (by his bosses).

Also noteworthy is the fact that George W. Bush did not get around to nominating Marsburger to serve in this capacity until June 25, 2001, more than 5 months after inauguration day.

Approximately one month prior to his pending inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama named four scientists to lead his science and technology team.

Many green-minded progressives have approached some of Obama's choices, specifically for cabinet positions in Agriculture, EPA and Interior, with measured trepidation (including a very good discussion by Jeanne Roberts recently here at Celsias), and it's certainly a valid discussion to have. The bottom line with members of any presidential cabinet though, is that at the end of the day, they are duty-bound to represent the position of the president. A good example of this would be the contrast of Colin Powell's internal objections to the Iraq invasion with his rather dramatic appearance at the U.N. to make the case for the invasion.

The value of those who advise the president is primo - assuming the president possesses adequate intellectual curiosity, a trait many would argue has been absent from the oval office during the last eight years - because the advisers are instrumental in helping the president formulate the policies that he and those who represent his office ultimately advocate publicly. With that in mind, Obama's choices for his science and technology team, taken in tandem with the nomination of Steven Chu as Energy Secretary (which is a cabinet-level appointment), may be cause for hope.

Obama named John Holdren co-chair of PCAST, as well as assistant to the president for science and technology, and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. As president and director of the Woods Hole Research Center, which puts forth policy and science initiatives on climate change and other environmental issues, Holdren is a leading voice on climate change issues.

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Obama also named genetic researcher Harold Varmus to co-chair PCAST. Varmus won a Nobel Prize in 1989 for his discoveries relating to the genetic basis of cancer, and he served as the director of the National Institutes of Health from 1993 to 1999. Since 2000, he has served as president and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. As chairman of the board of directors for the Public Library of Science, Varmus has advocated for the open access of biomedical papers.

Eric Lander, one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project, was also named as a co-chair of PCAST. In 1990, Lander founded the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research, which is now part of the Broad Institute. Lander is a biology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as Harvard Medical School.

Obama is nominating Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist from Oregon State University, to serve as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Lubchenco's areas of expertise include climate change and sustainability science, and she was a two-term appointee to the National Science Board, which advises the president and Congress. She is past president of the International Council for Science and is a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

One change that would be welcome would be a change in the current oval office culture which has put John Marburger in the absurd position of having to defend the president with quotes like "The President respects science; he likes science."

The Bush administration's political appointees have edited government documents to delete scientific findings and to block scientists' recommendations on issues involving climate change, endangered species, contaminants in drinking water and air pollution.

"The Bush administration has been the most remarkably anti-science administration that I've seen in my adult lifetime," Nobel laureate David Baltimore, former president of the California Institute of Technology, said in an interview. "And I do think that there will be a sea change in the Obama administration with the respect shown for the findings of science as well as the process of science." But Bush's science adviser, John H. Marburger III, challenged that assessment.

"There are stupid and foolish things that have been perpetrated by employees of the federal government in the executive branch, but it doesn't mean that the president is anti-science," he said. "The president is getting blamed for every little thing that happens that people don't like in the administration."

Marburger added that because of the president's opposition to federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and mandatory curbs on greenhouse gas emissions: "It was easy [for opponents] to infer that he was negative toward science. . . . The president respects science; he likes science."

Holdren's bio here.

Lubchenko's bio here.

Varmus's bio here.

Lander's bio here.   Video and full text of the announcement follow:

"Over the past few weeks, Vice President-Elect Biden and I have announced some of the leaders who will advise us as we seek to meet America's twenty-first century challenges, from strengthening our security, to rebuilding our economy, to preserving our planet for our children and grandchildren. Today, I am pleased to announce members of my science and technology team whose work will be critical to these efforts.

Whether it's the science to slow global warming; the technology to protect our troops and confront bioterror and weapons of mass destruction; the research to find life-saving cures; or the innovations to remake our industries and create twenty-first century jobs - today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology.

Right now, in labs, classrooms and companies across America, our leading minds are hard at work chasing the next big idea, on the cusp of breakthroughs that could revolutionize our lives. But history tells us that they can't do it alone. From landing on the moon, to sequencing the human genome, to inventing the Internet, America has been the first to cross that new frontier because we had leaders who paved the way: leaders like President Kennedy, who inspired us to push the boundaries of the known world and achieve the impossible; leaders who not only invested in our scientists, but who respected the integrity of the scientific process.

Because the truth is that promoting science isn't just about providing resources - it's about protecting free and open inquiry. It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States - and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work.

Dr. John Holdren has agreed to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John is a professor and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, as well as President and Director of the Woods Hole Research Center. A physicist renowned for his work on climate and energy, he's received numerous honors and awards for his contributions and has been one of the most passionate and persistent voices of our time about the growing threat of climate change. I look forward to his wise counsel in the years ahead.

John will also serve as a Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology - or PCAST - as will Dr. Harold Varmus and Dr. Eric Lander. Together, they will work to remake PCAST into a vigorous external advisory council that will shape my thinking on scientific aspects of my policy priorities.

Dr. Varmus is no stranger to this work. He is not just a path-breaking scientist, having won a Nobel Prize for his research on the causes of cancer - he also served as Director of the National Institutes of Health during the Clinton Administration. I am grateful he has answered the call to serve once again.

Dr. Eric Lander is the Founding Director of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and was one of the driving forces behind mapping the human genome - one of the greatest scientific achievements in history. I know he will be a powerful voice in my Administration as we seek to find the causes and cures of our most devastating diseases.

Finally, Dr. Jane Lubchenco has accepted my nomination as the Administrator of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is devoted to conserving our marine and coastal resources and monitoring our weather. As an internationally known environmental scientist, ecologist and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jane has advised the President and Congress on scientific matters, and I am confident she will provide passionate and dedicated leadership at NOAA.

Working with these leaders, we will seek to draw on the power of science to both meet our challenges across the globe and revitalize our economy here at home. And I'll be speaking more after the New Year about how my Administration will engage leaders in the technology community and harness technology and innovation to create jobs, enhance America's competitiveness and advance our national priorities.

I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery; if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity.

Thank you, and happy holidays everybody."

Related Reading:
Steve Chu, Energy Secretary
Is This Really the Green Dream Team?