America seeks science collaboration with Muslim communities
Scientists will work to foster teamwork
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has picked three American scientists to serve as science and technology envoys to Muslim communities around the world.
Clinton said the envoys will travel in the near future to North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to expand partnerships in all areas of science and technology. Clinton made the announcement Nov. 3 during remarks at the Forum for the Future conference in Morocco.
The State Department said other scientists and engineers will be invited to join the program to expand it to other Muslim countries and regions.
President Barack Obama announced the envoy positions in June and he called for a “new beginning” between the United States and Muslims in other nations.
“We'll open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new science envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, grow new crops,” he said at Cairo University.
The first three envoys are:
- Dr. Bruce Alberts, a former president of our National Academy of Sciences.
- Dr. Elias Zerhouni, a former director of our National Institutes of Health.
- Dr. Ahmed Zewail, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist.
About the Author
Ben Bain is a reporter for Federal Computer Week.