Opening Keynote: Peter Agre, M.D. -- University Professor and Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health; Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2003

A native Minnesotan, Peter Agre studied chemistry at Augsburg College (B.A. 1970) and medicine at Johns Hopkins (M.D. 1974). He completed his residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and an Oncology Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Agre joined the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty in 1984 and rose to the rank of Professor of Biological Chemistry and Professor of Medicine. In 2005, Agre moved to the Duke University School of Medicine where he served as Vice Chancellor for Science and Technology and James B. Duke Professor of Cell Biology. Agre returned to Johns Hopkins in January 2008, where he is University Professor and Director of the Malaria Research Institute at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In 2003, Agre shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering aquaporins, a family of water channel proteins found throughout nature and is responsible for numerous physiological processes in humans and is implicated in multiple clinical disorders. Agre has received other honors including 12 honorary doctorates, Commandership in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit from King Harald V, and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Agre is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine for which he chaired and serves on the Committee on Human Rights. In February 2008 Agre became President-Elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.

Closing Keynote: Ira Flatow --Host and Executive Producer, Talk of the Nation: Science Friday, NPR

He anchors the show each Friday, bringing listeners a lively, informative discussion on science, technology, health, space and the environment. Flatow is also founder and president of TalkingScience, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit company dedicated to creating radio, TV and Internet projects that make science user friendly.

Flatow's interest in things scientific began in boyhood — he almost burned down his mother's bathroom trying to recreate a biology class experiment. He has shared that enthusiasm with public radio listeners for more than 35 years. As a reporter and then News Director at WBFO-FM/Buffalo, New York, Flatow began reporting at the station while studying for his engineering degree at State University of New York in Buffalo. As NPR's science correspondent from 1971 to 1986, Flatow found himself reporting from the Kennedy Space Center, Three Mile Island, Antarctica and the South Pole. In one memorable NPR report, Flatow took former All Things Considered host Susan Stamberg into a closet to crunch Wint-O-Green Lifesavers, proving they spark in the dark.

On the Internet, Flatow has hosted numerous science related Web Casts for Discovery Online and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. His Science Friday Kids' Connection web pages won the award for one of the top 500 web sites in the country given out by Home PC Magazine.

A native of New York, Flatow now lives in Connecticut.

Mr. Bates is responsible for managing the Council's outreach and message to Members of Congress, the Administration and Governors.   He is the co-author of the Council’s Five for the Future competitiveness agenda that identifies critical issues that will determine America’s ability to compete and prosper in the global economy. Bates previously served as Director of Government Relations for the United States Telecom Association.  Prior to that, he was Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to House Commerce Committee member, U. S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA).  During his three years on Capitol Hill, he advised the Congresswoman on a wide range of technology issues including telecommunications, biotechnology and intellectual property.

Before joining Ms. Eshoo, he was an Associate with the Washington, DC-based public affairs company, Cassidy & Associates.  With more than fourteen years experience working for and with government policymakers, Bill brings a unique combination of political and policy expertise to the Council. Bill holds a master degree in Government from Johns Hopkins.

The Green Roundtable is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to mainstream sustainable development and ultimately become obsolete. Under Batshalom’s direction, GRT organizes and facilitates a forum for proactive dialogue among diverse professions, and provides resources and expertise to the development, design and construction community.

With a diverse background of fine arts, social psychology and sixteen years in architecture and consulting, Batshalom brings a variety of skills to all of her work and unique perspective engaging the human dynamics of decision making and creative collaboration to technical work to ultimately optimize building system integration, enhance quality and sustainability of our built environment.

Batshalom has pioneered new approaches in consulting, education and policy work, inventing creative models to solve unusual problems.

Becky joined Medtronic 20 years ago, and she has been a leader in the advancement of biologically oriented sciences at Medtronic.  She is currently Vice President, Science & Technology, with responsibility for Medtronic’s Corporate Life Sciences Research and the Materials and Information Science R&D groups as well as overseeing Corporate innovation programs and other corporate technology initiatives.  Prior to this job, Becky held scientific and R&D management positions of increasing responsibility within the corporation.  She has received several of Medtronic’s highest honors.  This includes membership in the Bakken Society, an honorary society for Medtronic’s most distinguished scientific and technical contributors, and recipient of the Wallin Leadership Award.  In 2000, Becky played a key role in development of Medtronic’s “Vision 2010,” a 10-year strategic plan for the corporation. 

Becky holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, and she has completed graduate studies in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota.  She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota and has taught Biomedical Engineering courses there.  Becky is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Darlene Cavalier, Founder, Science Cheerleader.com

Science Cheerleader.com is a blog that promotes the involvement of citizens in science and science-related policy. She is also developing ScienceForCitizens.net, a major multi-functional Web site that will encourage and enable lay people to learn about, participate in, and contribute to science through recreational activities as well as formal research. Cavalier held executive positions at Walt Disney Publishing and worked at Discover Magazine for more than a decade. She was the principal investigator of a $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant applied to promote basic research through partnerships with Disney and ABC TV.

Cavalier is a former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader and holds a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the role of the citizen in science. She is a consultant to Discover Magazine and the public outreach director for Science Debate 2008. She and her husband live in Philadelphia with their four young children.

Dr. Fire is a Professor of Pathology and Genetics at Stanford University, specializing in the study of of biological systems as they respond to new genetic information.  A native of Santa Clara County, California, Dr. Fire recieved training at UC Berkeley (Mathematics BA: 1975-1978), MIT (Biology Ph.D.: 1978-1983), and the Medical Research Council Laboratory in Cambridge UK (Postdoctoral: 1983-1986).  From 1986 to 2003, Dr. Fire was on the staff of the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Embryology in Baltimore Maryland.  During his time in Baltimore, Dr. Fire assumed the position of Adjunct Professor of Biology at Johns Hopkins University.  In 2003, Dr. Fire joined the faculty of the Departments of Pathology and Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine.

He was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Craig C. Mello, for the discovery of RNA interference.

Dr. Jonathan Foley is a renowned earth systems scientist and director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. Since beginning his role as director in August 2008, Foley has been working to develop the Institute’s research programs and partnerships to world-class status. He is the founder and former director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) at the University of Wisconsin, where he was also the Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences. Foley's research has contributed to the understanding of large-scale ecosystem processes, global patterns of land use, the planet's water and carbon cycles, and interactions between ecosystems and the atmosphere. In the course of his 15-year career, he has won numerous awards and honors, including the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and many others.

Professor Goldes has been teaching Photography and Media Arts at MCAD classes since 1986. His photographs, often based on examinations of simple physical phenomena, are in many public collections including MOMA- New York, Walker Art Center, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Yale University Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is the recipient of fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Bush Foundation and McKnight Foundation. Educated in the sciences and arts he received his BA from SUNY Buffalo in Chemistry and Biology, a MA from Harvard University in Molecular Genetics and and MFA from SUNY Buffalo in Photography. He is represented by Yossi Milo Gallery, NY. This past summer he participated in the 9th Shanghai International Photographic Art Exhibition. Website: davidgoldes.com

Dr. Husbands Fealing has come from Williams College, where she is the William Brough Professor of Economics.  Since 1989, Dr. Husbands Fealing has taught courses on global competitive strategies, microeconomics, industrial organization, the Pacific Rim, globalization, income security, privatization, regulation, and innovation.  Dr. Husbands Fealing developed the National Science Foundation’s Science of Science and Innovation Policy Program and co-chaired the Science of Science Policy Interagency Task Group from June 2006 through January 2008.  She also served as a Program Director in NSF’s Economics Program.  Dr. Husbands Fealing has also been a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Technology Policy and Industrial Development, where she conducted research on NAFTA’s impact on the Mexican and Canadian automotive industries, and research on strategic alliances between aircraft contractors and their subcontractors. 

Mr. Koizumi is known as a leading authority on the federal budget, federal support for research and development, science policy issues, and R&D funding data. He is the principal budget analyst, editor, and writer for the annual AAAS reports on federal R&D and for the continually updated analyses of federal R&D on the AAAS R&D web site. He is widely quoted in the general and trade press on federal science funding issues and speaks on R&D funding trends and federal budget policy toward R&D to numerous public groups and seminars.

Kei Koizumi received his M.A. from the Center for International Science, Technology, and Public Policy program at the George Washington University and received his B.A. from Boston University in Political Science and Economics.

Dr. Krauss is also the Co-Director of the Cosmology Initiative and Director of the exciting new Origins Initiative at Arizona State University. Until 2008 he was Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics, Prof of Astronomy, and Director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics. Krauss received his PhD from MIT in 1982 and then joined the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. He was appointed as a professor of physics and astronomy at Yale University in 1985, and then joined Case as Chair of Physics in 1993. During this period he built an internationally ranked research center.

Krauss is the author of 7 popular books including international bestseller, The Physics of Star Trek, and his newest book, Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions from Plato to String Theory and Beyond. Krauss is described by such magazines as Scientific American as a public intellectual, and with activities including performing with the Cleveland Orchestra and his grammy nominated notes for Telarc Records, he has also crossed the chasm between science and popular culture. At the same time he is a highly regarded international leader in cosmology and astrophysics, and is the author of over 250 scientific papers.

Dr. Kuzma is associate professor and area chair of Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Humphrey Institute.  Prior to this position, she served as study director for several National Academy of Sciences reports related to biotechnology and bioterrorism and as a AAAS Risk Policy Fellow sponsored by the USDA.  Her current research interests include oversight policy, risk analysis and regulatory review, and methods for integrated assessment of oversight models for bio- and nanotechnology.  She is co-PI on two NSF-funded grants studying oversight models and risk communication for nanotechnology.  She has published widely and spoken nationally and internationally in the areas of basic science, public policy, and risk analysis.  At the U of MN, she teaches courses in risk analysis, risk policy, and science and technology policy. She was awarded Humphrey Teacher of the Year in 2004.  She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of CO at Boulder in 1995. 

Dr.l Lefevre is President of IEEE-USA and a Fellow of the IEEE. He
has a BS and MS in Physics from the University of North Dakota and a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During his 35 year career he has worked as an engineer and manager in aerospace and related in high-tech industrial sectors. In 2001, he served as a Congressional Fellow to Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. In that capacity, he advised the Senator on STEM education, global warming, small business support and other important legislative issues. As IEEE-USA President, he is leading the organization to work toward improvements in K-12 STEM education, clean energy, increased support for federal R&D, implementation of a national health information network, and the related concerns of IEEE’s 215,000 U.S. members.

Mr. Mooney is the senior correspondent for The American Prospect magazine and author of two books, The New York Times best-selling The Republican War on Science - dubbed "a landmark in contemporary political reporting" bySalon.com and a "well-researched, closely argued and amply referenced indictment of the right wing's assault on science and scientists" by Scientific American - and Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming - dubbed "riveting" by the Boston Globe and selected as a 2007 best book of the year in the science category by Publisher's Weekly. His shorter writings have been nominated for a National Magazine Award and included in the volumes Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006. . He also writes "The Intersection" blog with Sheril Kirshenbaum.

TIES was founded in 2002 as a result of the Baltimore, Maryland funding community recognizing the need for Morrison and her colleagues to bring their expertise to the Baltimore City Public Schools. Beyond a local vision, she serves as the Senior Consultant for STEM Education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Senior STEM Education Consultant for the Ohio STEM Learning Network, and a consultant for NASA, Battelle Memorial Institute, National Governors Association, Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian. With a national vision for STEM education, Morrison was counsel to the National Academy of Engineering as it developed the SEEK-16 project. Currently, she works closely with North Carolina, New York, California, Washington, Pennsylvania and Maryland as they craft their vision for STEM education.

With a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Rochester, a master’s in administration from George Washington University and as an electron microscopy research associate at Georgetown University, Morrison has designed and implemented STEM curriculum and instructional programs in schools across the nation over thirty years.

As cofounder and the CEO of Science Debate 2008 he has led the group's historic efforts to elevate science and technology issues in the American political dialogue. Mr. Otto is a political strategist, entrepreneur, and writer with a science education. He is also a screenwriter, who wrote and co-produced the Academy-award nominated film "House of Sand and Fog." He serves on numerous boards and is a frequent speaker and contributor to various publications. He lives in a passive solar, wind-powered, geothermal, super-insulated home he designed and built with his own hands.

Dr. Osterholm is also the director of the NIH-supported Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance within CIDRAP, a professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, University of Minnesota. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity.

As editor of the CIDRAP Business Source, a Web-based information system for pandemic and other disease threats to business, Dr. Osterholm has been an international leader on the critical concern regarding our preparedness for an influenza pandemic.

The National Center for Science Education, Inc., is a not for profit membership organization of scientists, teachers, and others that works to improve the teaching of evolution, and of science as a way of knowing.  It opposes the teaching of “scientific” creationism and other religiously-based views in science classes.

A former college professor, Dr. Scott lectures widely, and is called upon by the press and other media to explain science and evolution to the general public. The author of Evolution vs Creationism: An Introduction and co-editor with Glenn Branch of Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for our Schools, she is the recipient of numerous awards from scientists and educators, and has been awarded six honorary degrees.

Singer joined the Department of Biology at Carleton in 1986 and has pursued a career that integrates science and education. She has B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, all from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed a teacher certification program in New York State. Singer has directed Carleton’s Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching and worked at the National Science Foundation as a program officer in Developmental Mechanisms. She co-authored an introductory biology text and is actively engaged in efforts to improve undergraduate science education. She serves on the board of directors for Project Kaleidoscope, for the NSF-funded iPlant cyberinfrastructure collaborative, and for the National Academies’ Board on Science Education. National Academies committee service has included contributions to the Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, the committee that authored America’s Lab Report (chair), the committee that authored Taking Science to School (science consultant), a committee on agriculture education, and the committee on Promising Practices in STEM Undergraduate Education (chair).

Dr. Suri's first novel, The Death of Vishnu, won the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and was a finalist for the 2002 Pen-Faulkner Award. His second novel, The Age of Shiva, was released this year in the US, UK and India. He was named by Time Magazine as a “Person to Watch” in 2000 and received a Guggenheim Fellowship for fiction in 2004. His fiction has been translated into 24 foreign languages.

In addition, he is a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. His research (in the area of finite element analysis) has been supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation, and he has served as an associate editor of the SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis. For the past several years, he has been involved in various mathematics outreach efforts, geared both towards schoolchildren and adults.

From 1991 until March, 2008, Hank worked for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., where he helped to design and then led the CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) Program, EPA’s new community-based environmental health initiative.  CARE is a grant and support program, now working in more than 80 communities, designed to build community capacity to understand and address environmental concerns.  Through the CARE Program, EPA is now working directly with community partnerships helping to provide the information and technical support they need to build healthy and sustainable communities.  While at EPA, Hank also led an effort to collaborate with the Center for Disease Control to coordinate federal support for communities.  He is the lead author of the Community Air Screening How-To Manual and the CARE Roadmap, A Ten Step Plan to Improve Community Environment and Health.  Hank has a PhD in Political Science from The Johns Hopkins University.  Hank is now working on rebuilding democracy and civic capacity in local communities and in national politics.

Dr. Wood work focuses on the use of scientific knowledge in public policy.  She served as Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health and Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health (OWH) from November 2000 through August 2005.  She resigned on principle over the continued delay of approval of emergency contraception over-the-counter by FDA.

Previously, Dr. Wood was the Director for Policy and Program Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. 

From 1990 to 1995, Dr. Wood worked on Capitol Hill for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues.  Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Dr. Wood was a research scientist at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the Department of Neuroscience..  She received her Ph.D. in biology from Boston University.  She has been speaking out since her resignation on the importance of using scientific and medical evidence in health policy decisions.

Research!America is the nation’s largest not-for-profit alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Research!America’s 500+ organizational members represent the voices of 125 million Americans. Woolley is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She serves on several boards and committees, including the Institute of Medicine Health Sciences Policy Board, the National Council for Johns Hopkins Nursing, and the Board of Overseers of the Harvard School of Public Health. She is a Founding Member of the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. She has served as president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes, as editor of the Journal of the Society of Research Administrators, as a reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation and as a consultant to several research organizations. Woolley has a 30-year editorial and publication history on science advocacy and research related topics. She is a sought-after speaker and is frequently interviewed by science, news, and policy journalists.

Wilson holds a doctorate in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and masters in Human Ecology from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium. Her research focuses on the development of carbon-managed energy systems. Recent work examines the regulatory and legal contexts for the deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technologies and evaluation of energy efficiency programs in consumer-owned utilities. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota she worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Her areas of expertise include: Energy and environmental policy; regulatory and legal analysis of emerging technologies; climate change; geologic carbon sequestration; public perception of emerging technologies.