Apr 10, 2007 - George H. Atkinson, science and technology adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will deliver the Dr. Bruce J. Nelson '74 Distinguished Speaker Series lecture Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in Galileo Hall at Harvey Mudd College. His talk is titled "The Globalization of Science and Technology."

Atkinson was named by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to be science and technology (S&T) adviser to the secretary (STAS) in September 2003 and has continued to serve as STAS under Secretary Rice. As an assistant secretary of state, the STAS is a principal interlocutor for science and technology with the U.S. Department of State. Atkinson joined the Department of State in 2001, following a national search by the American Institute of Physics, as the first senior fellow for science, technology and diplomacy. From 2002-03, he served as a senior science adviser within the Department of State dealing with global scientific advances having foreign policy significance. 

As STAS, he continues to strengthen the department's scientific capacity by promoting existing (e.g., the American Association of the Advancement of Science Fellows) and creating new (e.g., the Jefferson Science Fellows for tenured scientists and engineers from U.S. universities) programs; by fostering a more anticipatory, proactive engagement of scientific understanding in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy (e.g., the Perspectives on the Future of Science and Technology, the Global Dialogues on Emerging Science and Technology held in Japan, Germany, China, India and South America, and the Global Science Partnerships for the 21st Century currently being discussed in 14 countries); by providing advice on key contemporaneous S&T policy issues (e.g., visa policy, the U.S.-Japan Framework Initiative on a Safe and Secure Society, the Iraqi Virtual Science Library, R&D Challenges for Regional Stability and Capacity Building for the National S&T Council, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [nuclear fusion or ITER]), and by developing key domestic and international S&T relationships.

Following an undergraduate (high honors, phi beta kappa) degree from Eckerd College, Atkinson received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Indiana University in Bloomington. He was a National Academy of Science postdoctoral fellow (1971-73) at the National Bureau of Standards before becoming a professor of chemistry at Syracuse University until 1983, when he joined the University of Arizona as professor of chemistry and optical sciences and head of the Chemistry Department. He remains a tenured professor at the University of Arizona.

In addition to his more than 160 publications in refereed scientific journals and books, and has authored 66 U.S. and foreign patents. His numerous honorary awards for his research and teaching include the Senior Alexander von Humboldt Award (Germany), the Senior Fulbright Award (Germany), the Lady Davis Professorship (Israel), the Science and Research Council Award (Great Britain), the Distinguished Alumni Award (Indiana University), an honorary doctorate (Eckerd College) and the Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Award from the University of California, Irvine. He has been a visiting professor in Japan, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Israel and France. In 1992, students selected him as the "outstanding teacher at the University of Arizona."

In addition to the Nelson lecture, Atkinson will be on campus as the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Visiting Professor in Leadership and Management. He will teach part of an ongoing class in leadership and hold seminars and discussions for students, faculty and administrators.

Developing ethical leadership is a fundamental component of the education provided at Harvey Mudd College. The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Visiting Professorship in Leadership and Management advocates and develops this vision.

The Nelson lectures are free and open to the public and will be followed by a dessert reception. The spring 2007 Dr. Bruce J. Nelson '74 Distinguished Speaker Series builds on the campus appearances of the Annenberg Visiting Professors. The generosity of the family of Dr. Bruce J. Nelson '74 has made this lecture series possible.