John Marburger
Jack Marburger | |
---|---|
8th Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | |
In office October 29, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Clifford Gabriel (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Ted Wackler (Acting) |
3rd President of Stony Brook University | |
In office November 4, 1980 – November 7, 1994 | |
Preceded by | Alexander Pond (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Shirley Strum Kenny |
Personal details | |
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | February 8, 1941
Died | July 28, 2011 Port Jefferson, New York, U.S. | (aged 70)
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Princeton University (BS) Stanford University (MS, PhD) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | University of Southern California Brookhaven National Laboratory |
Thesis | The derivative method in many body theory (1967) |
John Harmen "Jack" Marburger III (February 8, 1941 – July 28, 2011)
Early life
Marburger was born on
After completing his education, he served as a professor of physics and electrical engineering at the University of Southern California beginning in 1966, specializing in the theoretical physics of nonlinear optics and quantum optics, and co-founded the Center for Laser Studies at that institution. He rose to become chairman of the physics department in 1972, and then dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 1976. He was engaged as a public speaker on science, including hosting a series of educational television programs on CBS. He was also outspoken on campus issues, and was designated the university's spokesperson during a scandal over preferential treatment of athletes.[3][5]
Stony Brook University
In 1980, Marburger left USC to become the third president of Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. At the time, state budget cuts were afflicting the university, and he returned it to growth with increases in the university's science research funding from the federal government.[1][3]
From 1988 to 1994, Marburger chaired Universities Research Association, the organization that operated Fermilab and oversaw construction of the ill-fated Superconducting Super Collider,[3] an experience that is credited with convincing him of the influence government had in how science is carried out.[5] During this time he also served as a trustee of Princeton University. He stepped down as President of Stony Brook University in 1994, and began doing research again as a member of the faculty.[3]
Chair of Shoreham commission
In 1983, he was picked by New York Governor Mario Cuomo to chair a scientific fact-finding commission on the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, a job that required him to find common ground between the many viewpoints represented on the commission. The commission eventually recommended the closure of the plant, a course he personally disagreed with.[1][5] Cuomo had formed the commission in mid-May 1983 to provide him with recommendations regarding the plant's safety, the adequacy of emergency plans, and the economics of operating the plant. The commission's consensus recommendations included unanimous findings that no emergency evacuation of the plant could be conducted without the cooperation of Suffolk County, which was refusing to approve an evacuation plan; that the construction of the plant would have been prevented if it had been started after new Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations were put into effect after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979; and that operating the plant would not reduce utility costs. Marburger himself at the time emphasized that the governor had not been seeking a consensus but rather encouraged multiple viewpoints to be reflected, and characterized the consensus conclusions as not the only important section of the report.[6]
Marburger characterized his participation as a learning experience, and the experience was credited with profoundly changing his view on the relationship between the scientific community and the public. He had never been to a public hearing prior to his participation in the Shoreham commission, and he said that he had initially expected that the issues could be resolved by examining scientific data and establishing failure probabilities. However, he quickly became aware of the importance of the public participation process itself, stating that it was "one of the rare opportunities for the public to feel they were being heard and taken seriously." Marburger's conduct on the committee was praised by activists on both sides of the debate, with his focus on listening to all viewpoints and his ability to not take disagreements personally being especially noted.[7]
Brookhaven National Laboratory
In January 1998, Marburger became president of
The tritium leak, combined with other disclosures about improper handling and disposal of hazardous waste, had caused Secretary of Energy Federico Peña to fire the lab's previous manager, Associated Universities, Inc. Upon starting as the laboratory's director, Marburger noted the increased importance of health and environmental concerns since the beginning of the Cold War, stating that "getting the people at Brookhaven to understand that won't be simple, and there may be some disagreement on how we should do it, but that's my job."[8] Marburger set up a permanent community advisory council and met with local environmental groups to increase communication between them and the laboratory's management. By 2001, when Marburger left to join the Bush administration, local environmental groups credited him with having largely dissipated the distrust that had existed between the groups when he started.[9][10]
In 2001 he was elected a
Bush administration
In September 2001, Marburger became Director of the
His tenure was marked by controversy as he defended the Bush administration from accusations that
Marburger's tenure as Director was the longest in the history of that post. After the
In February 2004, the
Marburger responded to criticism of his support for Bush administration policies in 2004, stating "No one will know my personal positions on issues as long as I am in this job. I am here to make sure that the science input to policy making is sound and that the executive branch functions properly with respect to its science and technology missions." On the topic of stem cell research, he in 2004 said that stem cells "offer great promise for addressing incurable diseases and afflictions. But I can't tell you when a fertilized egg becomes sacred. That's not my job. That's not a science issue. And so whatever I think about reproductive technology or choice, or whatever, is irrelevant to my job as a science adviser."[1] However, in February 2005, in a speech at the annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers, he stated, "Intelligent design is not a scientific theory.... I don't regard intelligent design as a scientific topic".[18] Also In 2005, he told The New York Times that "global warming exists, and we have to do something about it."[19]
Later life
Marburger returned to Stony Brook University as a faculty member in 2009, and co-edited the book The Science of Science Policy: A Handbook, which was published in 2011. He also served as Vice President for Research but stepped down on July 1, 2011. Marburger died Thursday, July 28, 2011, at his home in
References
- ^ a b c d e f Paul Vitello (July 29, 2011). "John H. Marburger, Bush Science Adviser, Dies at 70". The New York Times.
- PMID 21850096.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "In Memoriam: John Marburger". Brookhaven National Laboratory. 29 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- .
- ^ a b c d e Crease, Robert P. (1 August 2011). "Realist in the modern scientific era; John Marburger knew how to promote research in face of competing interests". Newsday. p. A31. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ Gargan, Edward A. (21 November 1983). "Shoreham Panel Says Evacuation Depends on Suffolk's Cooperation". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ Winerip, Michael (15 December 1983). "Man in the News: A Mediator For Shoreham Panel, John Harmen Marburger 3d". The New York Times. p. B4. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ McQuiston, John T. (4 December 1997). "At Troubled Brookhaven Lab, Priority Now Is Safe Science". The New York Times. p. B20. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Glanz, James (3 July 2011). "Man in the News: John Marburger; Balancing the Equation of Science and Politics". The New York Times. p. F3. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Cotsalas, Valerie (15 July 2001). "Lab Seeks Leader for Post-Marburger Era". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ "APS Fellow archive". APS. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Bush's science advisor John Marburger dies, aged 70". Nature Publishing Group. August 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Mervis, Jeffrey. "John Marburger's Impact on U.S. Science Policy". ScienceInsider. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ "Scientific Integrity in Policy Making: Further Investigation of the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science". Union of Concerned Scientists. July 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Marburger, John (2 April 2004). "Statement of the Honorable John H. Marburger, III On Scientific Integrity in the Bush Administration" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- S2CID 42734764.
- ^ Glanz, James (30 March 2004). "At the Center Of the Storm Over Bush and Science". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Mooney, Chris (22 February 2005). "Intelligent Denials". American Prospect. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (30 July 2011). "John H. Marburger, chief science adviser to George W. Bush, dies at 70". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-107-00483-2.