News Forecast: CNN's Lou Dobbs, U.S. Science Advisor,
Top OMB Official and Others to Make
Headlines at S&T Forum

Lou Dobbs, host of CNN's popular "Lou Dobbs Tonight" program, which airs 6:00 pm Eastern Time Mondays through Fridays, will serve as a speaker during the 29th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy.

Dobbs' show provides in-depth news coverage, political and economic analysis, and debate and opinion on the current issues that affect Americans' quality of life, from business news to federal policies, and from science to education, technology and corporate crime. Dobbs has been in broadcasting for some 20-plus years.

Also at the S&T Forum, AAAS analyst Kei Koizumi, director of the authoritative R&D Budget and Policy Program, will unveil a new, five-year budget outlook for federally funded U.S. research and development to help kickoff the 29th Annual Forum on Science and Technology Policy.

"The current U.S. Administration wants to cut the budget deficit in half over the next five years," Koizumi noted. "Particularly during a Presidential election year, it's important for policymakers and taxpayers to understand the impacts of any federal budget changes, especially any proposals that may have implications for the pace of scientific discoveries in coming years."

Other headlines at the Forum (formerly known as the Colloquium), 22-23 April, are expected to emerge from presentations by John D. Graham of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and by U.S. Presidential Science Advisor John H. Marburger III and Sen. Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota).

Graham is head of the OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which published draft guidelines on 15 September 2003, governing peer review by U.S. federal agencies. In a 12 December letter to OMB, the AAAS Board of Directors and CEO applauded the intent of the proposed guidelines for recognizing independent peer review as a "critical element in ensuring the reliability of scientific analyses." But, the AAAS statement also criticized sections of the draft guidelines that relate to the selection of peer reviewers, the public disclosure of reviewers' identities, and the authority to waive the proposed requirements in certain cases.

Marburger, who will deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Forum, is director of the U.S. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. At the 2003 Forum, Marburger candidly addressed visa-processing delays resulting from tightened U.S. security measures. "This Administration values the contributions that foreign students make," Marburger said. He identified a series of steps to encourage multi-national research contributions by applicants. For more details on Marburger’s 2003 Forum presentation, read the related news article.

New voting technologies, regulatory control of the Internet and other questions related to technology’s impacts on democracy also may result in news coverage of the 2004 Forum. In addition, Albert H. Teich, director of Science and Policy Programs at AAAS, will chair a session on the impacts of post-9/11 security policies on science.

Also this year, Harold Varmus will deliver the prestigious William D. Carey Lecture, established in 1989 to honor the former executive officer of AAAS. Others who have given the Carey Lecture include former Clinton Administration presidential science advisor Neal Lane, now a Rice University professor, Shirley Ann Jackson (AAAS president and president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); and Jack Gibbons, former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The AAAS Forum is held in Washington each spring to provide a neutral setting for discussion and debate about budget and other policy issues facing the S&T community. Since its beginning in 1976, the Forum has grown into an annual institution that draws over 500 top science and technology policy experts. The Forum is the major public meeting in the United States on science policy issues.

For full program details, or to register now, click here.

The Forum is held in conjunction with an Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference, set to take place 23-25 April, 2004. The student event, which is free and open to the public, includes a science-policy career workshop, career fair, scholarly presentations, and more. For information on the Graduate Student Conference, click here.

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