Rensselaer Polytechnic president to speak at Baker Institute

CONTACT: Franz Brotzen
PHONE: 713-348-6775
E-MAIL: franz.brotzen@rice.edu

Shirley Ann Jackson will speak at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Nov. 13 on energy security. The lecture, titled “From Uncertainty to Opportunity: Creating a Comprehensive Energy Road Map and the Human Capital to Make it Happen,” begins at 6 p.m.

A theoretical physicist, Jackson is president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The focus of her research and policy work is primarily on global energy security and the national capacity for innovation, including addressing the “quiet crisis” in the U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

Jackson has a bachelor’s in physics and a doctorate in theoretical elementary particle physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 43 honorary doctoral degrees. Described by Time magazine as ”perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,” she is the first African-American woman to lead a national research university. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001 and served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004.

“Dr. Jackson fully embodies the principles we want to promote with our Civic Scientist lecture series,” said Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor and senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. “She has already had a remarkable career working in industry, the academy, government and national laboratories. And, undoubtedly, she has surmounted many barriers, as the first African-American woman to get a Ph.D. in physics as well as a very long list of other major achievements.”

Jackson has been extremely active on energy issues, arguing that global energy security is the space race of today. She believes energy independence is not a viable goal, since energy is bought and sold across the global marketplace. Jackson prefers instead to focus on “global energy security.”

Jackson’s speech is part of the Civic Scientist lectures, a series of talks by leading scientists who have affected public policy. The goal of the series is to expose current and future scientists to the notion that their roles expand outside the laboratory. It also gives the Houston community an opportunity to hear leading scientists discuss their fields and careers, hopefully promoting science and technology as a public good worthy of federal, state and local funding.

Jackson’s lecture will be held in James A. Baker III Hall on the Rice University campus, 6100 Main St. For directions, go to http://www.rice.edu/maps/maps.html.
 
Members of the news media who want to attend the event should R.S.V.P. to Franz Brotzen at franz.brotzen@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.