Obama’s Science Advisor Addresses ESRI Users #feduc

Dr. John Holdren, the science and technology advisor to President Obama and the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, provided the keynote address at the ESRI Federal User’s Conference in Washington DC. Holdren addressed the challenges facing the nation for which science plays a critical role such as in the areas of biotechnology, nano technology and "greentech." He said that President Obama’s goal was to increase the investment for research and development to greater than 3% of the gross domestic product and wants to double those R&D budgets for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and the National Institute for Standards and Technology. Holdren also discussed the $4.4 Billion "Race to the Top" initiative, part of the ARRA stimulus money that is to fund innovation in education and puts a priority on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Finally, Holdren focused on the benefits of GIS to the national economic recovery efforts. Holdren, who had at one time directed the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, noted how GIS is key in visualizing the causes of global climate change and highlighted NOAA’s Carbon Tracker where the volume of carbon coming out or going into the ground are mapped.

Holdren’s rapid fire presentation was at times difficult to follow as he rattled off the list of Mr. Obama’s science initiatives.