- Office of Science and Technology Policy
-
Office of Science and Technology Policy 
Agency overview Formed May 11, 1976 Preceding agency Office of Science and Technology Headquarters 725 17th Street, Washington, D.C. Employees 45 Agency executive Dr. John Holdren, Director Parent agency Executive Office of the President Website Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is an office in the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.
The director of this office is colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor. Dr. John Holdren, Director, nominated in December 2008, serves as Science Advisor to President Barack Obama[1]. Dr. John Holdren also co-chairs the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and supports the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)[2][3].
Contents
History
The current OSTP grew out of the Office of Science and Technology which was formed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to provide advice and recommendation in response to the growing importance of space exploration and the accelerating Space Race that was taking place with the USSR.
The United States Congress established the OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts to develop and to implement sound science and technology policies and budgets and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.
Meetings with China in 2011
In October 2011 a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that meetings hosted in May by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy with the Chinese government broke federal law that had been enacted in April 2011. Although not denying that the section in question of the Department of Defense appropriations bill had been broken the White House Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) instead asserted that this law did not "constitutionally apply to the OSTP's diplomatic activities."[4] Justice Department has declared that the White House has the constitutional power to override a Congress statute forbidding members of the White House Office such as the OSTP from engaging in diplomatic activities with foreign officials.[5]
Mission
The OSTP's mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-282). The act calls for the OSTP to serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the federal government.
It further authorizes the OSTP to:
- Advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs;
- Lead an inter-agency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets;
- Work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security;
- Build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community;
- Evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology.[6]
The OSTP handles a broad range of scientific and technological issues within the Executive Office of the President. It participates in a multitude of White House Policy Coordinating Committees (PCC) that are tasked with developing policies for the federal government and are populated by senior officials from cabinet and independent agencies. The OSTP has approximately 45 staff members, most of whom are experienced scientists functioning as assistant directors or policy analysts.
Key Staff
- Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy: John Holdren
- Associate Director for Science: Carl Wieman (nominee)[7]
- Associate Director for Technology and Chief Technology Officer: Aneesh Chopra[8]
- Associate Director for National Security & International Affairs: Philip E. Coyle III[9]
- Associate Director for Energy & Environment: Shere Abbott[10]
Past Science Advisors
President Name Term Franklin D. Roosevelt Vannevar Bush 1939–1951 Harry S. Truman Oliver E. Buckley 1951–1952 Harry S. Truman Lee A. DuBridge 1952–1953 Dwight Eisenhower Lee A. DuBridge 1953–1956 Dwight Eisenhower Isadore I. Rabi 1956–1957 Dwight Eisenhower James Killian 1957–1959 Dwight Eisenhower George Kistiakowsky 1959–1961 John F. Kennedy Jerome B. Wiesner 1961–1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Jerome B. Wiesner 1963–1964 Lyndon B. Johnson Donald F. Hornig 1964–1969 Richard Nixon Lee A. DuBridge 1969–1970 Richard Nixon Edward E. David Jr. 1970–1973 Gerald Ford H. Guyford Stever 1973–1977 Jimmy Carter Frank Press 1977–1981 Ronald Reagan Benjamin Huberman (acting) 1981 Ronald Reagan George A. Keyworth, II 1981–1985 Ronald Reagan John P. McTague (acting) 1986 Ronald Reagan Richard G. Johnson (acting) 1986 Ronald Reagan William Robert Graham 1986–1989 Ronald Reagan Thomas P. Rona (acting) 1989 George H. W. Bush D. Allan Bromley 1989–1993 Bill Clinton John H. Gibbons 1993–1998 Bill Clinton Kerri-Ann Jones (acting) 1998 Bill Clinton Neal F. Lane 1998–2001 George W. Bush Rosina Bierbaum (acting) 2001 George W. Bush Clifford Gabriel (acting) 2001 George W. Bush John H. Marburger III 2001–2009 Barack Obama John Holdren 2009–present References
- ^ "President-elect Obama announces key members of Science and Technology team" (Press release). Office of the President-Elect. 2008-12-20. http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president-elect_obama_announces_key_members_of_science_and_technology_team/. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "About OSTP: John Holdren". OSTP.gov. Office of Science and Technology Policy. http://www.ostp.gov/cs/about_ostp/. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "About PCAST". OSTP.gov. Office of Science and Technology Policy. http://www.ostp.gov/cs/pcast. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ Gehrke, Joel (October 25, 2011). "GAO: With China dialogues, WH violated law". The Washington Examiner. http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/gao-china-dialogues-wh-violated-law. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ^ Congressman Objects to Chinese Diplomacy, The New York Times.
- ^ "About OSTP: Department Organization". OSTP.gov. Office of Science and Technology Policy. http://www.ostp.gov/cs/about_ostp. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. 2010-03-22. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts-32210/. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ "Weekly Address: Efficiency and Innovation" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. 2009-04-18. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/18/Weekly-Address-Efficiency-and-Innovation/. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "President Obama Announces Recess Appointments to Key Administration Positions" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. 2010-07-07. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-recess-appointments-key-administration-positions-0. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ "Nominations sent to the Senate" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. 2009-03-10. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Nominations-Sent-to-the-Senate/. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
External links
Executive Office of the President of the United States Council of Economic Advisers · Council on Environmental Quality · National Security Council · Homeland Security Council · Office of Administration · Office of Management and Budget · Office of National Drug Control Policy · Office of Science and Technology Policy · Office of the United States Trade Representative · President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board · President's Intelligence Advisory Board · White House Office · Office of the Vice President
Independent agencies Agriculture Commerce Defense Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Coast Guard Research & Development Center (CG RDC)Energy Office of Science (DOE SC), Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), National LaboratoriesHealth and Human Services Homeland Security Interior Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development (ORD)Policy-making bodies Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) (defunct), House Committee on Science and Technology, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, The National AcademiesCategories:- Executive Office of the President of the United States
- 1976 establishments in the United States
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
