AAAS, State Of Arizona Co-Host Conference On Research And Development

Is scientific research really important to the average Arizonan? Research funding plays a far bigger role in the present (and future) economy of Arizona than many realize. Consider this: In 1995, the state received nearly a billion dollars in research and development funds, ranking 19^th out of the 50 states in such funding. Research and development activities are vital to Arizona's industries and higher education system.

Yet the research and development environment is extremely fluid. Funding sources shift and change, as do the areas of research emphasis and growth -- but with the dangers also come opportunities. Perhaps nowhere else is there as great an opportunity for growth in Arizona's relatively young economy as there is in research and development.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, along with Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Commerce and the Governor's Strategic Partnership for Economic Development are hosting a conference on university and industrial research funding in Arizona on Friday, March 27 at the Memorial Union at ASU.

Entitled "The Future of Science and Technology in Arizona: Trends and Indicators," the one-day conference will feature presentations by a number of important government and agency leaders. Neal Lane, currently director of the National Science Foundation and nominee for the position of Presidential Science Advisor, will give the keynote address, to be followed by Albert Teich, AAAS director of science and policy programs, who will present a special AAAS report on federal investment in research and development in Arizona, present and future. Also making introductory remarks will be Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon, member of the House Science Committee; ASU President Lattie Coor; NAU President Clara Lovett; UA President Peter Likins; and Columbia University Vice Provost Michael Crow.

"This conference is a really significant opportunity for the State of Arizona," said ASU Interim Vice Provost for Research Jonathan Fink, one to the conference's organizers. "It will allow us to assess where we stand now and examine opportunities for future growth. Research and development are big players in the Arizona economy right now, but the future possibilities look even brighter."

The conference is the 10^th in an ongoing series of regional and state conferences that the AAAS has been hosting since 1996, examining the impact of research and development for selected states and regions, and is accompanied by a written report from the AAAS. The report analyzes Arizona's combined research and development expenditures and aims at increasing understanding of federal investment while communicating among industrial, state and federal decision-makers the continued strategic importance of this investment. AAAS will release Arizona's report on the day of the conference.

Following remarks by the featured speakers, the conference will break into four panels, each focusing on an area of science or engineering research that has been is seen as a target of opportunity for Arizona:

A panel on planetary geology and space sciences will be hosted by ASU planetary geologist Philip Christensen and Mike Drake from the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab. Panel participants will include David Morrison, director of space programs for the NASA Ames Research Center; Dan McCleese, chief scientist in the Mars Science Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories; and Wendell Mendell of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

A panel on environmental research will be hosted by ASU Center for Environmental Studies Director Charles Redman and Diana Liverman from UA. Panel participants are Michelle Broido, director of the Environmental Sciences Division at the U.S. Department of Energy; Robert Correll, director of the NSF's Geoscience Division; and Robert E. Menzer, senior science advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency.

A panel on biomedical and biotech research will be hosted by ASU's Stuart Lindsay, professor of biophysics and UA Dean of Agriculture Eugene Sander. Panel participants are Maryanna Henkart, deputy director of the NSF's Molecular and Cellular Bioscience Division; and Dov Jaron, associate director of Biomedical Technology at the NIH.

A panel on materials science will be hosted by ASU Center for Solid State Science Director Paul McMillan and UA's Ken Jackson. Panel participants include Lance Haworth of the NSF's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program; Tom Picraux, director of physical and chemical sciences at Sandia National Labs; and Lawrence Dubois, director of the DARPA Defense Sciences Office.

The conference is free and open to the public. To RSVP, call 602-965-1225. Press interested in attending the conference should call 602-965-6375 in advance to arrange for interviews and to receive an advance copy of the AAAS report (embargoed until Mar. 27) on Mar. 25. A conference schedule is attached.