Head of National Science Foundation to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Nov. 13

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu

Head of National Science Foundation to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Nov. 13

HOUSTON – (Nov. 7, 2012) – Subra Suresh, director of the National Science Foundation, will give a Civic Scientist Lecture on his work in science and the public sphere Nov. 13 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Part of the Shell Distinguished Lecture Series, this event will be held in conjunction with Trans-Atlantic Science Week 2012, which takes place Nov. 12-16 in Houston. 

Who: Subra Suresh, director of the National Science Foundation.

What: Civic Scientist Lecture.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 13, noon-1:30 p.m.

Where: Rice University, Baker Hall, Doré Commons, 6100 Main St.

Suresh’s lecture will highlight the role scientists play in helping improve the public’s and policymakers’ understanding of science, as well as the role science can play to improve international relations.

Suresh was nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the National Science Foundation in September 2010. A distinguished engineer and scientist, Suresh previously served as the dean of the School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His experimental and modeling work on the mechanical properties of structural and functional materials, innovations in materials design and characterization, and discoveries of possible connections between cellular nanomechanical processes and human disease have shaped new fields in the fertile intersections of traditional disciplines.

The Civic Scientist Lectures are presented by leading scientists and engineers from around the world who have impacted public policy. The goal of the series is to expose scientists and future scientists to the notion that their roles extend beyond the laboratory. The lectures also give the Houston community an opportunity to hear leading scientists discuss their fields and careers as they promote science and technology as a public good worthy of federal, state and local funding. The Civic Scientist Lecture program is managed by the Baker Institute’s Science and Technology Policy Program. For more information on the program, visit http://science.bakerinstitute.org.

This Shell Distinguished Lecture Series event is co-hosted by the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Houston and Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences. Additional support for this event was provided by JWC/JKH Family Foundation and its president, Janice Hartrick.

The event is by invitation only. Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

To view the complete event agenda, visit http://bakerinstitute.org/events/civic-scientist-lecture-subra-suresh. A live webcast will be available at http://bakerinstitute.org/webcasts. 

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Founded in 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston ranks among the top 20 university-affiliated think tanks globally and top 30 think tanks in the United States. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute sponsors more than 20 programs that conduct research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows and Rice University scholars. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.