Science Adviser to President Bush visits LSU, discusses science and technology policy with faculty, students

View Marburger’s PowerPoint presentation (PowerPoint, 3.3Mb).

On Tuesday, Oct. 5, John H. Marburger III, science adviser to the President and director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, addressed a crowded auditorium full of LSU faculty, staff and students in the Rotunda Auditorium of LSU’s Energy, Coast and Environment Building.

Marburger’s appearance was part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectureship Series. His presentation, titled “Science and Technology Policy in the Real World,” addressed the federal government’s role in funding and support for science and technology, as well as how funding decisions are made.

“Every nation turns to the same international science community for advice, and, consequently, science priorities are essentially the same in all developed countries,” Marburger said in his presentation. “Getting the money, the facilities and the people together to work at a competitive level in the priority areas is another story, particularly in the United States, where research funding is distributed through dozens of federal agencies, scores of state bureaus and hundreds of foundations, businesses and associations.”

Marburger provided a detailed breakdown of science funding to various government agencies, including NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, which, in turn, are primary providers of research funding to universities. He also provided a history of scientific research funding the United States, pointing out that the U. S. response to Russia’s launch of Sputnik in 1957 was a dramatic increase in science funding.

Marburger concluded his program by stating that “LSU contributes substantially to national research programs, and to regional environmental and economic development.” He then took questions from attendees and joined in a post-presentation reception.

Marburger earned a doctorate in applied physics from Stanford University in 1967. He has contributed to the rapidly growing field of non-linear optics and developed a theory for various laser phenomena. He was a co-founder of the University of Southern California’s Center for Laser Studies and his teaching activities included “Frontiers of Electronics,” a series of educational programs on CBS television.

Before his appointment to the Executive Office of the President, Marburger served as director of the Brookhaven National Laboratory and as president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

LSU’s premier speaker series, the LSU Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectureship Series works to enhance the development of the university community while showcasing LSU’s programs, faculty and students to researchers around the world. Speakers are nominated by LSU faculty members, recommended by a faculty committee and selected by the Office ofResearch and Graduate Studies.

For more information, visit the Chancellor’s DistinguishedLectureship Series Web site at http://www.research.lsu.edu/cdlslectures.htm