Norman P. Neureiter, a Leading Advocate of Science Diplomacy, Wins Austrian Cross of Honour

Karlheinz Toechterle (left), Austria's federal minister of science, presented Norman P. Neureiter with the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art 1st class. [Photo courtesy of IIASA]

Norman P. Neureiter, acting director of the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy and a leading proponent of science diplomacy, has received a prestigious award from the Austrian government for contributions to the success of an international organization based in Vienna that addresses global challenges.

Karlheinz Toechterle, Austria’s Federal Minister of Science, presented Neureiter with the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art 1st class on 23 October at a gala opening dinner for the 40th anniversary conference of IIASA, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.

Neureiter was honored for his work on behalf of IIASA, which was founded in 1972. Originally, the Institute worked to build East-West cooperation during the Cold War. Today, it has a North-South orientation: Scientists from its 20 member nations, including many from developing and emerging countries, work to address the great problems facing humanity—including energy, climate change, food, water, population, and ecosystem health—by use of systems analysis.  Their work on demographics, climate change, and energy has attracted global recognition. 

The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art was first presented in 1960. Previous American recipients include soprano Jessye Norman (2008), Ronald S. Calinger, historian of mathematics (1996), and singer-actor Frank Sinatra (1984).

During the award presentation at the Hofburg Congress Center, Neureiter spoke of the creation of IIASA as one of the great science diplomacy initiatives of the 20th century.

At AAAS, Neureiter also is senior adviser to the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy and chair of the senior advisory board for Science & Diplomacy, the center’s quarterly online publication. Before joining AAAS in 2004, Neureiter had served as the first science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State. He was appointed in 2000 to a three-year term in that post, serving briefly under Madeleine Albright and then under Colin Powell.

Earl Lane

1 November 2012