On September 23, George Atkinson, the 2001-2002 AIP State Department
Science Fellow, became the new Science and Technology Adviser to Secretary
of State Colin Powell. As Atkinson begins his new role at the U.S. Department
of State, AIP is gearing up to select its State Department Fellow for
2004-2005. Information on applying for the upcoming Fellowship by the
November 1 deadline will be provided in the following FYI, or please
see the web site at http://www.aip.org/mgr/sdf.html/
for details on the program.
AIP initiated its State Department Science Fellowship program in 2001.
Atkinson, a professor of chemistry and optical sciences at the University
of Arizona, was the first scientist chosen for this new Fellowship.
A recipient of a Senior Alexander von Humboldt Award and a Senior Fulbright
Fellow Award, Atkinson is a member of APS and has performed research
or served as a visiting professor in Great Britain, France, Germany,
Japan and Israel. He also founded and served as President and CEO of
Innovative Lasers Corporation. Atkinson spent his Fellowship term working
for both the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Bureau of European
and Eurasian Affairs, where his efforts included assessing key S&T-related
issues, trends, and opinions in Europe and other regions of the world,
and identifying emerging S&T issues of importance to international
relations and U.S. foreign policy. He also worked to initiate a new
"Senior Science Fellowship" within the State Department to
enable senior-level university faculty to serve as Fellows and provide
expertise and consultation to the department.
As the first AIP State Department Fellow, Atkinson helped raise the
visibility of the program within the department and pave the way for
later Fellows. "The AIP as an organization deserves great credit,"
he noted, "for having the vision and confidence to assume a pioneering
role in addressing the complex issues associated with the impact of
science and technology on the foreign policy of the United States government."
Other current and former AIP State Department Science Fellows have
worked in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the Bureau of Economic
and Business Affairs, and the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental
and Scientific Affairs. Their portfolios have included topics as varied
as emerging S&T issues, European and Russian science policy, the
World Summit on Sustainable Development, critical infrastructure protection,
biotechnology and the safety of agricultural products. Two new AIP Fellows
are preparing to start their terms this month. AIP encourages its Fellows
to seek beyond the traditional roles for scientists in the department
when interviewing for an assignment, to broaden the reach and visibility
of scientific expertise within the Department. Since 2001, several other
scientific and engineering societies have followed AIP's lead and established
their own fellowships in the State Department.
Information on applying for the 2004-2005 AIP State Department Fellowship
by the November 1 deadline will be provided in FYI #124, or see http://www.aip.org/mgr/sdf.html/
for details.
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