Chancellor Greenwood nominated to National Science Board

President Clinton nominated Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood to a six-year term on the National Science Board, the White House announced in late July. The U.S. Senate must approve Clinton's nomination of Greenwood and four other candidates.

The 24-member National Science Board recommends overall national policies for promoting basic research and education in the sciences. Board members, drawn from industry and universities, represent a variety of science and engineering disciplines. They are selected for their distinguished contributions to research, education, or public service.

"M.R.C. Greenwood will bring to the National Science Board a unique understanding of the importance of furthering alliances between government, private industry, and the nation's research universities in the advancement of science," says UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "The nation will be well served by this appointment.

"Chancellor Greenwood's nomination demonstrates the high national esteem in which the University of California researchers and its campuses are held, and it is fitting evidence of the contribution UC Santa Cruz has made toward enhancing that reputation," Atkinson continued.

Greenwood, an expert in the fields of physiology and nutrition, became UCSC's seventh chancellor on July 1. If approved, her position on the National Science Board will provide a natural segue from a previous federal post: Greenwood served as associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from November 1993 to May 1995. There, she advised the Clinton administration on issues related to national budgetary priorities and federal investment in fundamental scientific research.

"I'm extremely pleased that the president has nominated me to the historic National Science Board," Greenwood says. "Not since the Sputnik era has there been a more important time for scientific discovery and improved scientific education in this country. As we look toward a 21st century characterized by the production of knowledge, the transmission of knowledge, and the ability to access knowledge, scientists, particularly those in universities, will play a pivotal role in our economy, our quality of life, and our international competitiveness."

The president appoints eight members to the National Science Board every two years. The board was established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950.

-ROBERT IRION

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