PopTech Addresses “Science Awareness Gap” By Establishing the Science and Public Leadership Fellows Program
New Fellows Program Aims to Train, Support, and Mentor Leading Young Scientists to Improve Public Communication in Areas of Critical Scientific Exploration
Camden, ME & New York, NY — September 14, 2010 — PopTech, the renowned international thought leadership and innovation accelerator network, today announced the inaugural class of participants in a program to address the crucial need for scientists as socially engaged, public communicators: the Science and Public Leadership Fellows. The program acknowledges the critically important role science plays in improving society and the simultaneous decline in public understanding of the field. President Obama recently stated, “Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation.” PopTech, which is dedicated to accelerating the positive impact of world-changing people, projects, and ideas, is one of the organizations seeking to nurture scientific luminaries to transcend their respective technical communities while becoming visible public leaders, focused on meaningful outcomes.
Scientists tend to focus on excellence within their disciplines and receive little training in public leadership and communication as they prepare for research endeavors in their respective fields. PopTech confronts this issue through its long-term commitment and partnership with the Science and Public Leadership Fellows. PopTech will provide intensive, high-quality training, a powerful social network comprised of scientific media and corporate and academic leaders, ongoing mentoring, and opportunities for public leadership and engagement. The Fellows, 18 high-potential, early and mid-career scientists, receive a year-round set of benefits, beginning with the opportunity to participate – at no expense – in a special, invitation-only leadership development retreat at the Banbury Center of the acclaimed Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which convened in August 2010. The Fellows will also be invited to participate in the annual PopTech 2010 conference, taking place October 21-23 in Camden, Maine.
The PopTech Social Innovation Fellows program, now in its third year, was the first groundbreaking mentorship series for PopTech, equipping world-changing innovators with the tools, insights, visibility and social network that can help them scale their work and truly achieve impact. PopTech’s commitment to devising new approaches to the planet’s toughest challenges by leveraging available and burgeoning technology, various modes of communication and innovation has been a long-standing hallmark of the organization.
“Without visible scientific leaders, the truth is politicized, and action is potentially stalled,” said Andrew Zolli, PopTech’s Executive Director. “This lack of relationships with media mentors and underdeveloped civic engagement skills hinder most scientists from achieving the momentum, collaboration and social impact that can be gained by bringing their ideas and insights to the public forefront. PopTech is delighted to announce the first class of 18 Science and Public Leadership Fellows, in conjunction with our partners, and to embark on what we hope is lifelong work together.”
“Microsoft Research is thrilled to sponsor the first class of PopTech’s Science and Public Leadership Fellows and assist the chosen scientists in becoming more effective leaders, empowering them with the resources needed to better communicate their essential scientific endeavors,” said Tony Hey, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft External Research, a division of Microsoft Research. “It’s tomorrow’s computer scientists and technological leaders that will be called up to address some of society’s greatest challenges.”
“Scientists have sometimes shied away from full public engagement and that needs to change,” said Elizabeth G. Christopherson, President-CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation. “Whether the issue is the climate, global warming, the threat of pandemics, technology, or what we spend on research, we need to hear fact-based and honest assessments from the scientific community. We are so supportive of PopTech’s efforts to encourage some of our brightest minds to participate in public dialogue because our future depends on the active involvement and input of leaders in the sciences who are working to make our world a better place.”
PopTech would like to thank all its partners and supporters, without whom this vital and innovative program would not be fully realized. The following have played an integral role in bringing this program from ideation to inception: Microsoft Research, Intel, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, National Geographic, National Science Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the New York Academy of Sciences. PopTech would also like to thank the world-renowned advisory board who assisted with the selection of the first class of Fellows and participate in the program’s leadership training program.
Following is the full Class of 2010 Science and Public Leadership Fellows:
Sinan Aral, Assistant Professor, Information, Operations and Management Sciences, New York University Stern School of Business, is an information systems researcher examining the dynamics and impact of social networks.
Jesse Bloom, Beckman Fellow, Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology, is a biochemist who studies protein evolution and influenza.
Tanzeem Choudhury, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Dartmouth College, is a computer scientist researching machine-learning systems that reason about human activities.
Kim Cobb, Associate Professor, Climate Change, Georgia Institute of Technology, is a climatologist exploring the mechanisms of global climate change.
Ben Dubin-Thaler, Founder and Director, Cell Motion Laboratories, Inc., is the director of BioBus, a traveling science lab dedicated to providing hands-on science education to underserved communities.
Casey Dunn, Assistant Professor, Biology, Brown University, is a biologist researching how evolution has generated a diversity of life.
Gidon Eshel, Bard Center Fellow in Environmental Science, Physics and Mathematics Departments, Bard College; Associate Adjunct Research Scientist, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, is a geophysicist who studies the environmental consequences of food production.
Sarah Fortune, Assistant Professor, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health; Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is a microbiologist studying the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
Rebecca Fry, Assistant Professor, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is an ecotoxicologist who studies how prenatal exposure to certain metals is associated with diseases.
Justin Gallivan, Associate Professor, Chemistry, Emory University, is a biochemist who is programming bacteria to eat pollution.
Sean Gourley, Research Fellow, Military Theory, University of Miami, is a physicist creating a data-driven framework for understanding modern wars.
Amro Hamdoun, Assistant Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, is a cell biologist studying how chemical pollution impacts human and environmental health.
Brian Hare, Assistant Professor, Evolutionary Anthropology and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, is an evolutionary anthropologist who compares the psychology of animals to infer how human-like social skills evolved.
Amishi Jha, Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Miami, is a cognitive neuroscientist exploring the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on education, attention deficits and the military.
Aydogan Ozcan, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering, UCLA, is an electrical engineer who is developing a device to detect infectious diseases using a cell phone.
Sebastian Seung, Professor of Computational Neuroscience, MIT; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is a neuroscientist who is helping computers see the connections between the brain’s neurons.
Beth Shapiro, Assistant Professor, Biology, Pennsylvania State University, is an evolutionary biologist shedding new light on how species respond to environmental change.
Hayat Sindi, Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, is a biotechnologist working to deliver affordable point-of-care diagnostic solutions to the developing world.
About PopTech
PopTech is a new kind of innovation accelerator – a community of cutting-edge leaders, thinkers and doers from many different disciplines who come together to explore the social impact of technology and the forces of change shaping the future. PopTech’s one-of-a-kind network includes innovators in wide-ranging fields such as science, technology, green energy, sustainable ecomaterials, violence cessation, design, and the corporate, entrepreneurial and social sectors. PopTech’s mission is to accelerate the positive impact of world-changing people and ideas and foster unconventional collaborations that tackle some of the world’s most significant challenges and lead to real and lasting change. PopTech is a non-profit 501©(3) organization. Please visit www.poptech.org and www.poptech.org/sciencefellows for more information.
About Microsoft Research
Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and collaborate with leading academic, government and industry researchers to advance the state of the art. Microsoft Research has expanded over the years to eight locations worldwide and a number of collaborative projects that bring together the best minds in computer science to advance a research agenda based on their unique talents and interests. Microsoft Research has locations in Redmond, Wash.; Cambridge, Mass.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England; Beijing, China; and Bangalore, India, and also conducts research at the Cairo Microsoft Innovation Center in Egypt; European Microsoft Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany; and the eXtreme Computing Group in Redmond. Microsoft Research collaborates openly with colleges and universities worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspire technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of computer science. More information can be found at http://www.research.microsoft.com.
About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties. The foundation’s Medical Research Program supports the PopTech Science and Public Leadership Fellows Program as part of its ongoing efforts to support the career development of physician-scientists.
About the Rita Allen Foundation
Since 1953, the Foundation has awarded millions of dollars to worthy causes to foster young leadership talent, civic literacy and community-building to promote the Common Good. We motivate thinkers and doers in a variety of fields, including biomedical research, and then intervene at the right time to maximize their impact to harness, share and advance their potential for the benefit of everyone. By investing in individuals, ideas, and organizations at their earliest stages, we help create and accelerate breakthrough solutions to significant problems. Learn more about us at www.ritaallenfoundation.org.
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