Carnegie Reporter, Vol. 4, No. 4

Carnegie Corporation gratefully acknowledges the contributions of William T. Golden, a business leader considered the principle architect of American science policy in the 20th century, who passed away in October, 2007; and Joshua Lederberg, Nobel laureate microbiologist and one of the century’s premier scientists, who passed away on February 2, 2008.

Golden and Lederberg shared a close association with Carnegie Corporation, formed when they were appointed co-chairs of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government in 1988. Then Corporation president David Hamburg established this group of high-level science and policy experts to recommend ways that government at all levels could make more effective use of science and technology in their deliberations and policymaking. The credentials of the two co-chairs were impressive: Lederberg, president of Rockefeller University, was one of the youngest Nobelists ever, a founder of the field of microbiology who had advised nine White House administrations; Golden was chair of the American Museum of Natural History and perhaps best known for establishing the post of Science Advisor to the President, and the related Office of Science and Technology in the Executive Office of the President, in 1950 as advisor to President Harry S. Truman.

Of the twenty-two Carnegie Commission members, half were scientists and engineers with governmental experience, and half were nonscientists with particular knowledge and experience in public affairs and science policy. They and the participants in the Commission’s task forces included many distinguished names in science, technology and government—former President Jimmy Carter, physician Jonas Salk and former Secretary of State George Schultz among them. At its initial meeting the Commission decided, in light of a new administration’s coming into the White House in January 1989, that the first topic for analysis would be the role of science and technology as it affected the President of the United States. The resulting report was approved at the next meeting, the first of more than twenty such publications released over the course of five years.

In time, beyond recommending best practices for integrating science and technology into the work of the President, the Commission’s expert guidance was offered to Congress and the judiciary, as well as departments of defense, education, the environment and international affairs. In 2000 the first Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State was appointed to enhance the role of science and technology within the U.S. State Department, an appointment that fulfilled a concept proposed in the Commission’s concluding report.

In 1991, at Golden’s suggestion, the Commission convened the informal Carnegie Group of Science Advisors to Presidents and Prime Ministers to provide guidance to leaders of G8 countries (initially the G7 plus the Soviet Union) and the European Union. At the time, this new group was perceived as necessary to overcome communication blocks among the senior science and technology advisors of the major countries, who generally met only at formal sessions with rigid agendas and large numbers of staff. Golden’s idea was to stage a totally different kind of meeting at an isolated location without staff present and with no formal agenda, no notes taken and no publicity.

Organized by Golden, this small group met semiannually to discuss and debate science policy in an unofficial capacity and promote international communication among high-level officials. The casual, private environment was intended to facilitate friendly interaction among attendees who would come to know each other well enough to communicate directly and share ideas from then on. By all accounts, the strategy worked, the Carnegie Group flourished and 34 highly productive meetings eventually took place, most recently in December 2007.

Representatives from Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States regularly attend the meetings, which are conducted in English and held in locations that rotate among all the member countries. While its membership has changed through the years as governments have changed, the Carnegie Group has continued to operate on a small scale and in accordance with its original rules, with the addition of non-attending expert committees who provide background briefings to help members manage the information glut stemming from the rapid and relentless expansion of the scientific field.

The topics under discussion, chosen in advance by the group itself, form a comprehensive list of hot button issues in the field: climate change, stem cell research, the human genome, intellectual property, sustainable development, science and technology in Africa, water management, technology transfer, bioethics, international cooperation and many others. More than a debate society, the Group is an internationally recognized network for dialogue on specific global issues requiring collective understanding. The meetings will continue as a uniquely effective catalyst for triggering informed, high-level action on issues of global significance, and a fitting legacy for William Golden.

For more details about the Carnegie Group, go to www.carnegie.org/sub/pubs/science_tech/brom1.htm. The reports of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government are available at www.carnegie.org/sub/pubs/ccstfrep.htm.