Baker Institute’s Neal Lane available to comment on Trump science adviser nominee

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David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu

Baker Institute’s Neal Lane available to comment on Trump science adviser nominee

HOUSTON — (Aug. 2, 2018) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate University of Oklahoma professor Kelvin Droegemeier for director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Credit: 123RF.com/Rice University

Neal Lane, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and former science adviser to President Bill Clinton, is available to discuss the nominee —  “an excellent choice,” he said — and the role of the OSTP with the news media.

In September 2016, Lane held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to release a report offering science and technology policy recommendations for the next president.

“Science, technology and innovation are vital to America’s economy, workforce and the competitiveness of U.S. industry,” Lane said at the time. “They assure our nation’s security, the quality of our environment and the safety, health and overall well-being of the American people. Considering the many policy challenges that relate to science and technology and the accelerating pace of scientific discovery and technological innovation across the globe, it is critically important that the president move quickly to appoint the science adviser and organize a capable OSTP that can begin to engage the many executive departments and agencies that support research and development and rely on advances in science and technology to carry out their missions.”

Droegemeier endorsed Lane’s report, writing, “OSTP is the policy hub of the science and technology research and innovation enterprise, and the importance of its role to our nation is only going to increase as we face ever greater challenges for which science and technology alone can provide answers. This document lays out a thoughtful framework for both the president and OSTP leadership that will help ensure maximum effectiveness of OSTP going forward.”

Lane is also Rice’s Malcolm Gillis University Professor Emeritus and professor emeritus of physics and astronomy.

To schedule an interview with Lane, contact Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at 713-348-6775 or jfalk@rice.edu.

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Related materials:

Lane biography: www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/neal-f-lane

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top three university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.