Three former presidential science advisers will speak on how science and technology play a critical role in addressing complex challenges such as climate change, public health, national security and economic competitiveness at a March 8 event hosted by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The discussion — free and open to the public — will be complemented by an exhibit inside Baker Hall that displays the history of science advisers and the role of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in presidential policymaking.
Featuring Kelvin Droegemeier from the first Trump administration, Alondra Nelson from the Biden administration and the Baker Institute’s Neal Lane from the Clinton administration, the conversation will explore the panelists’ experiences leading the OSTP and the office’s critical role in shaping national policies to advance science, technology, innovation and higher education.
The exhibit inside Baker Hall features materials that have been curated from the collections of U.S. presidential libraries and the White House Scientists Archive at Woodson Research Center Special Collections and Archives at Rice’s Fondren Library.
What: Baker Institute event: “Science and the American Presidency.”
Who: Three former presidential science advisers Kelvin Droegemeier (Trump), Neal Lane (Clinton) and Alondra Nelson (Biden). Moderated by Paul Cherukuri, Baker Institute scholar and vice president for innovation at Rice.
When: Wednesday, March 5, 5:30-8 p.m.
Where: Rice’s Baker Hall (in-person registration) or livestream (virtual registration). A recording will be available afterward. This event is free, but registration is required. Parking is available in the central campus garage.
This event is organized by the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program and Rice Innovation. Additional support was generously provided by gifts from the Kavli Foundation and Rice’s Fondren Library, Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Science and Technology Studies Program and Creative Ventures Fund: Conference and Workshop grant.