Director Robbert Dijkgraaf Invites Rush Holt to IAS
U.S. Representative Rush Holt has been appointed a Director’s Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study through March 1. Director’s Visitors are scholars from a variety of fields who are invited to the Institute to pursue their research interests. While a Director’s Visitor, Mr. Holt will reflect on science, policy, and the interaction between the two.
Mr. Holt, who represents the 12th District of New Jersey, will retire at the end of this year after serving eight terms and will take up his new position in February 2015 as chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
As a physicist and a member of Congress with a distinguished record of public service, Mr. Holt has worked to advance science, promote public engagement with science and technology, and ensure that accurate scientific information informs policy decisions. In his 15 years as a member of Congress, he helped to secure more than $22 billion in new federal funding for science and technology research. He passed an amendment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, providing millions in funding for protecting open space, and he was instrumental in adding the lower Delaware River to the National Wild and Scenic River program.
As a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Mr. Holt helped write the College Cost Reduction Act — the largest college aid expansion since the GI Bill — which includes his provision to provide upfront tuition assistance for math, science and foreign language teachers, supporting Mr. Holt’s effort to strengthen such education in the U.S.
“We are thrilled to have Rush here at the Institute,” stated Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director of the Institute and Leon Levy Professor. “His deep curiosity and engagement in issues facing science, education, and policy will inspire new dialogues within and outside of the Institute community.”
“It is a great privilege and honor to be able to spend some time among the powerful thinkers at the Institute,” stated Mr. Holt. “It is a fine opportunity for me to consider the health of science in America and how the scientific enterprise can be fostered and sustained.”
Mr. Holt earned his BA in physics from Carleton College and he completed his Master’s degree and PhD at New York University. Prior to becoming a U. S. Congressman, he was assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory from 1989–1998. He has also held positions as a teacher, Congressional Science Fellow, and arms control expert at the U.S. State Department where he monitored the nuclear programs of countries such as Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union. His numerous awards and citations include the Planned Parenthood Community Service Award, the Biotech Legislator of the Year, and the Science Coalition’s Champion of Science award. He was also a five-time winner of the game show Jeopardy, and in February 2011, he defeated Watson, IBM’s computer system, in a simulated round of Jeopardy at an event to promote innovation.
Past Director’s Visitors include philosopher Paul Benacerraf, biochemist Paul Berg, political theorist Isaiah Berlin, former U.S. Ambassador William H. Luers, and writer Sylvia Nasar, among others.