Dynamît Nobel Wrighton Nominated To National Science Board
This list of prospective board mem bers is the end of a biennial process that begins with the mailing of letters to sci entific and technological societies, a President Bill Clinton has nominated number of research universities, past Mark S. Wrighton to be one of four new board members, and other parties, members to serve on the National Sci seeking the names of people to serve on ence Board (NSB) this year. Wrighton the board. Often more than 200 names is chancellor of Washington University, are offered for consideration. 'The chair St. Louis, and a professor of chemistry. then sets up a committee of NSB mem Should Wrighton be confirmed by the bers to go through the names and select Senate, he would be one of three chemists between 30 and 45 of them for a short serving on the 24-member board. The oth list to be forwarded to the White House er chemists are Maxine Savitz, general for consideration," Fannoney says. manager of technology/ In making its choices, partnerships at Honeywell, the NSB committee takes Torrance, Calif., and Jo into consideration a num seph A. Miller Jr., Duber of demographic is Pont's senior vice presi sues and the future needs dent for R&D. of the board, Fannoney NSB serves two func says. These include scien tions: It acts as a nation tific discipline, geography, al science policy adviser affiliation, and gender. But to the President and to once the list is sent to the Congress, and it is the President, she notes, oth policy and governing ers make thefinalchoices body for the National as to which eight people Science Foundation. get nominated. These final In addition to Wrigh choices may skew the ton, Nina V. Fedoroff of Wrighton makeup of the board a lit the University of Penn tle. For example, of the sylvania is also waiting to be confirmed. eight nominees this year, four have bio Daniel Simberloff of the University of logical sciences backgrounds, joining at Tennessee, Knoxville, and Michael G. least two others already on the board. Rossman of Purdue University were The nominations are then sent to the confirmed by the Senate late last month. Senate for confirmation, which can take Waiting for confirmation for a second a while. Fannoney hopes that all the cur term on the board are Jane Lubchenco, rent nominees will be confirmed by the Oregon State University; Diana S. Natal- end of this month. icio, the University of Texas, El Paso; But for all practical purposes, the Warren M. Washington, the National eight nominees already are serving as Center for Atmospheric Research, Boul NSB members. "They have all the j der, Colo.; and John A. White Jr., the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of j University of Arkansas. fully confirmed members, except that j A term on the board is for six years, they do not get to vote," Fannoney says, j and no member is allowed to serve more The board uses May 10 as the cutoff i than two consecutive terms. The chair date—new members begin serving on I and vice chair are elected by the board to that date, and their service ends six j two-year terms. Eamon M. Kelly, presi years later, regardless of the date of | dent emeritus of Tulane University, was their final Senate confirmation. recently elected to his second term as A breakdown of the disciplines of NSB j chair. Meetings usually are held five members over the past 15 years shows a times a year and normally are open to the rough equality among major scientific public (http://www.nsf.gov/nsb). and technology areas. In that time, 10 ι The nomination process is long and chemists, 15 life scientists and biologists, convoluted. According to Susan E. Fan- 12 physicists, and 16 engineers are listed I noney, coordinator of awards and nomi as having served on the board. There also j nations for the board at NSF, a list of po have been a few computer scientists, j tential nominees is sent to the White mathematicians, and a meteorologist, ; House for consideration 12 to 15 months among others. Economists, of which the L ahead of time. 'This means that by Janu present chair Kelly is one, have had six ary 2001 we will have sent up the list for representatives in this period. ' the 2002 appointments," she says. David Hanson [
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