Office of Science and Technology Policy

Office of Science and Technology Policy
Agency overview
Formed May 11, 1976 (1976-05-11)
Preceding agency
  • Office of Science and Technology
Headquarters Eisenhower Executive Office Building
725 17th Street, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees 45
Agency executive
Parent agency Executive Office of the President
Website WhiteHouse.gov/OSTP

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.

The director of this office is colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor. The position has been vacant since President Donald Trump took office, along with a number of other leadership positions in the agency.[1] In August 2018, meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier was nominated for the position.[2]

History

President Ford signing H.R. 10230, establishing the Office of Science and Technology Policy

President Richard M. Nixon eliminated the President's Science Advisory Committee after his second Science Advisor, Edward E. David Jr., resigned in 1973, rather than appointing a replacement. The United States Congress then established the OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts to develop and to implement sound science and technology policies and budgets and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.

Under President Donald Trump, OSTP's staff dropped from 135 to 45 people.[3] As of March 29, 2018, the OSTP director position remains vacant, the longest vacancy for the position since the office's founding.[4] Kelvin Droegemeier, an atmospheric scientist who currently serves as the vice president of research at the University of Oklahoma, was nominated for the position on August 1, 2018.[5]

Mission

The OSTP's mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-282). The act calls for the OSTP to serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the federal government.

It further authorizes the OSTP to:

  • Advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs;
  • Lead an inter-agency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets;
  • Work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security;
  • Build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community;
  • Evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology.[6]

The OSTP handles a broad range of scientific and technological issues within the Executive Office of the President. It participates in a multitude of White House Policy Coordinating Committees (PCC) that are tasked with developing policies for the federal government and are populated by senior officials from cabinet and independent agencies. The OSTP has approximately 45 staff members, most of whom are experienced scientists functioning as assistant directors or policy analysts.

Key staff

  • Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy: Vacant
    • Deputy Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy: Vacant
    • Associate Director for Technology: Vacant
    • Principal Assistant Director for Science: Vacant
      • Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences: Vacant
      • Associate Director for Science: Vacant
  • Chief Technology Officer of the United States: Vacant
    • Deputy Chief Technology Officer: Michael Kratsios[7]
    • Associate Director for National Security & International Affairs: Vacant
    • Associate Director for Energy & Environment: Vacant

Directors

[8]

No.PortraitNamePresidentTerm
1 H. Guyford Stever Gerald Ford1976–1977
2 Frank PressJimmy Carter1977–1981
Benjamin Huberman (acting)Ronald Reagan1981
3 George A. Keyworth, II1981–1985
John P. McTague (acting)1986
Richard G. Johnson (acting)1986
4 William Robert Graham1986–1989
Thomas P. Rona (acting)1989
William G. Wells (acting)George H. W. Bush1989
5 D. Allan Bromley1989–1993
6 John H. GibbonsBill Clinton1993–1998
Kerri-Ann Jones (acting)1998
7 Neal F. Lane1998–2001
Rosina Bierbaum (acting)George W. Bush2001
Clifford Gabriel (acting)2001
8 John H. Marburger III2001–2009
9 John HoldrenBarack Obama2009–2017
Kelvin Droegemeier (nominee)Donald Trump2018–present

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lapowsky, Issie (January 20, 2018). "The lasting impacts of Trump's first year". Wired.
  2. ↑ Reardon, Sara; Witze, Alexandra (31 July 2018). "The wait is over: Trump taps meteorologist as White House science adviser". Nature.
  3. ↑ Alemany, Jacqueline (November 21, 2017). "Donald Trump's science office is a ghost town". CBS.
  4. ↑ Aldhouse, Peter (January 18, 2017). "Trump's war on science isn't what you think". CBS.
  5. ↑ https://www.vox.com/2018/8/1/17639314/trump-science-adviser-kelvin-droegemeier-ostp
  6. ↑ "About OSTP: Department Organization". OSTP.gov. Office of Science and Technology Policy. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  7. ↑ "Trump's White House science office still small and waiting for leadership". Science | AAAS. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  8. ↑ "Previous Science Advisors (1973–2009)". White House – via National Archives and Records Administration.
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