A scientist-turned-Congressman who now heads the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will join several Penn State researchers Thursday night to talk about how scientists help inform policy.
Rush Holt will be joined by Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, and Peter Hudson, director of Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Willaman Professor of Biology, for ‘Scientist-Citizen: Science Policy in the Age of Promise and Peril,’ at 7 p.m. in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium. The panel discussion is free and open to the public.
Holt is a physicist and former assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, an alternative energy research facility. He also taught physics and science policy at Swarthmore College. He was first elected in 1998 to the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district and served eight terms before deciding not to run for re-election in 2014.
Associated Press science writer Seth Borenstein will moderate the discussion.
The event is expected to focus on how scientists can shape government policy on environmental issues.
‘Many of the leading challenges we face today as a civilization lie at the nexus of science and policy,’ Mann said in a release. ‘As we approach our next presidential election, it is critical that these challenges be brought to the forefront of our political discourse. This forum provides an opportunity to do that right here at Penn State.’
The panel discussion is presented by the Penn State Science Policy Society, a graduate student organization that educates on the connection between research and public policy
‘Events in recent years have shown us the impact that politics has on our ability to conduct cutting edge research,’ said Jared Mondschein, doctoral student in chemistry and an officer in the Science Policy Society. ‘We are hoping that this forum provides an opportunity for the Penn State community, especially the students, who will be the future leaders and policymakers in science, to understand all aspects of this so that we can make an informed decision on Election Day.’
