Annex B: Outline of the Committee's visit
to Washington DC and New York, 5-9 March 2006
Scientific Advice to Government in the
USA
Washington
Monday 6th March
Breakfast Briefing at the British Embassy
Sir David Manning HMA
Mr Julian Braithwaite
Mr Phil Budden
Mr Josh Mandell, Senior Policy Advisor
Mr Jonathan Temple, Policy Advisor
Meeting with Department of Homeland Security
Senior Policy Advisors
Topics discussed: US Visit Programme, biometrics
research, scientific advisory procedures within the Department
of Homeland Security
Meeting with Mr George Atkinson, Chief Scientific
Advisor, State Department
Topics discussed: structure of the State Department,
politicisation of scientific advice, climate change policy, stem
cell research policy at a federal and state level.
Meeting with National Research Council/National
Academy of Sciences
Dr William Colglazier, Executive Officer, National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) and Chief Operating Officer, National
Research Council
Dr Ralph Cicerone, Chairman, National Research Council
Topics discussed: structure and organisation of NRC/NAS,
politicisation of science, provision of scientific advice on policy,
stem cell policy.
Meeting with American Association for the Advancement
of Sciences
Mr Al Lesher, Chief Executive Officer
Mr Vaughan Turekian, Chief International Officer
Mr Kei Koizumi, Director of Budget Research
Mr Al Teich, Director for Science & Policy Programmes
Topics discussed: use of science by the Administration,
scientific advisory systems, approach to risk and the precautionary
principle within the Administration, the intelligent design debate,
climate change policy, and the recent budget allocations for science.
Meeting with US Department of Health and Human
Services
Mr Alex Azar II, Deputy Secretary
Topics discussed: the classification of illegal drugs,
the debate on stem cell research and the spread of avian influenza.
Tuesday 7th March
Meeting with President's Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology
Dr Celia Merzbacher, Executive Director
Mr Eric Bloch, Member
Topics discussed: the role and composition of PCAST,
the decentralisation of science and technology, and the use of
scientific advice.
Meeting with National Science Foundation
Dr Bement, Director
Topics discussed: The organisation of the NSF, funding,
research priorities, fraud and peer review.
Meetings at the RAND Drug Policy Research Centre
Dr Peter Reuter, Co Director
Jerome Jaffe, M.D, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry,
University of Maryland
Topics discussed: drug scheduling in the US, decision-making
on classification, enforcement of drugs policy, decriminalisation
of cannabis, and the influence of scientific research on US drugs
policy.
Meeting with House of Representatives Committee
on Science
Congressman Sherwood L Boehlert
Mr David Goldstone, Chief of Staff
Dr Elizabeth Grossman, Staff Director Research Committee
Topics discussed: Politicisation of science, relationship
between the Committee and the Administration, science budget,
and NASA.
Meeting with representatives from the National
Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
Hon Richard E Benedick, President
Dr Ron Pulliam, Science Advisor to the Secretary
of the Interior
Hon Barbara Sheen Todd, former President of the National
Association of Counties
Hon Randy Johnson, former President of the National
Association of Counties
Topics discussed: role of NCSE, climate change policy,
politicisation of science, and impact of localism upon scientific
advice.
Meeting with White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy
Topics discussed: US drugs strategy, supply and demand,
and the classification system.
New York
8th March 2006
Meeting with Ms Lucie Hrbkova, Programme Management
Officer, New York Office, United Nations Office on Drugs &
Crime.
Topics discussed: role and effectiveness of the UN,
harmonisation of classification systems.
Meeting with Chief Anthony Izzo, Organized
Crime Bureau, New York City Police Department
Topics discussed: the use of evidence, impact of
classification and the rise of crystal meth.
Meeting with International Biometric Group
and visit to IBG Showroom and the World Financial Centre.
Samir Nanavati
Victor Minchih Lee
Maud Meister
Topics discussed: different technologies, multi-modal
systems, international co-operation in biometrics research and
future developments in biometric technologies.
Meeting with Ultra-Scan and NYSTAR
John K. Schneider, President
Topics discussed: current biometric technologies,
the importance of independent testing, iris scanning technology.
Meeting with New York State Office of Science,
Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR)
Kathleen Wise, Director of Program
Topics discussed: funding regime, impact of 9/11
upon funding priorities, and increase in funding for biometric
research.
Meeting with US-Visit Officials at JFK Airport
in New York
Topics discussed: the structure of the US-Visit programme,
a demonstration of the technology and problems with the programme.
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