The American Association for the Advancement of Science urges Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to swiftly fill the position of State Department science and technology advisor, which will be vacant when current advisor Vaughan Turekian departs the post, according to an article on the organization’s website. Turekian “has effectively presented the views of the global scientific community and helped incorporate scientific findings into foreign policy considerations,” according to Rush Holt, CEO of AAAS. Turekian is leaving to join the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
According to the AAAS, the science and technology adviser position was created by Secretary of State Madeline Albright and has served in administrations of both parties. Tillerson’s goal of restructuring the State Department has raised reportedly raised concerns over the future of the advisor role, which is designed to ensure that science, technology and health policies are integrated into foreign policy considerations and that expert scientific advice is used to inform approaches to global challenges
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