According to Science Insider (the blog of the journal Science), Obama has decided on his Science Advisor. He's a good pick from the sound of things.
Physicist John Holdren is apparently going to be Obama's Science Advisor. I've never heard of him, but according to Science Insider we get an idea what his background is:
Holdren is well known for his work on energy, climate change, and nuclear proliferation. Trained in fluid dynamics and plasma physics, Holdren branched out into policy early in his career. He has led the Woods Hole Research Center for the past 3 years and served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (which publishes ScienceInsider) in 2006.
I like this so far, although personally, I wish he'd be going with someone with a background in biomedical research (which is what I work in). Still working at Woods Hole and heading the AAAS gives him a lot of credibility and a background in energy, climate change and nuclear proliferation are all important in order to have a real good understanding of 3 major issues that the incoming administration is going to have to face.
Here's the story as to why it looks like Holdren's getting the nod:
Holdren had been planning to attend a staff meeting this morning with colleagues at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he heads the technology and science program. But instead, he flew today to Chicago to meet with the transition team and prepare for the announcement; initial plans are to release the official news of the appointment on a weekly radio program that Obama records and will be broadcast on Saturday. The transition office declined to comment.
I think we can all agree (hopefully) that Obama has made it clear that he is actually going to seriously listen to scientists and pay more than just lip service to what they have to say unlike the current adminstration. Here's hoping that Dr. Holdren does a great job as Science Advisor, and that Obama really does listen to him and other scientists. Also, I'd love to see him make the position of Science Advisor a cabinet position. That would really send a strong signal that he's going to take science-related issues seriously.