Gibbons to Leave OSTP, Lane to Head OSTP, Colwell to Lead NSF
Dr. Jack Gibbons, the President's science advisor and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, announced late last week that he will resign effective March 15. Dr. Neal Lane, the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has been nominated by President Clinton to replace Gibbons. Replacing Lane at NSF will be Dr. Rita Colwell, the president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Colwell was nominated earlier this year to become deputy director of NSF. Indications are that Dr. Joseph Bordogna, who has been acting deputy director, will continue in that capacity for the near term.
Lane has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Oklahoma. He has been the director of NSF since 1993. Prior to that, he served in a variety of academic positions at Rice University and the University of Colorado.
Colwell has a Ph.D. in marine microbiology from the University of Washington. She is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute was established in 1985 to conduct research and training, and provide a core of expertise and facilities to advance the state's scientific and economic development.
Gibbons has been the President's science advisor since 1993. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Gibbons served for 13 years as director of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.