John
H. Marburger, III
Science Adviser to the President
Director of the Office of Science & Technology Policy
Washington, DC
Talk
Title: Science
Ethics: A Governmental Perspective
Biographical
Sketch
John H. Marburger, III, Science Adviser to the President and
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, was
born on Staten Island, N.Y., grew up in Maryland near Washington
D.C. and attended Princeton University (B.A., Physics 1962)
and Stanford University (Ph.D. Applied Physics 1967). Before
his appointment in the Executive Office of the President,
he served as Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory from
1998, and as the third President of the State University of
New York at Stony Brook (1980-1994). He came to Long Island
in 1980 from the University of Southern California where he
had been a Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering,
serving as Physics Department Chairman and Dean of the College
of Letters, Arts and Sciences in the 1970’s. In the
fall of 1994 he returned to the faculty at Stony Brook, teaching
and doing research in optical science as a University Professor.
Three years later he became President of Brookhaven Science
Associates, a partnership between the university and Battelle
Memorial Institute that competed for and won the contract
to operate Brookhaven National Laboratory.
While at the University of Southern California, Marburger
contributed to the rapidly growing field of nonlinear optics,
a subject created by the invention of the laser in 1960. He
developed theory for various laser phenomena and was a co-founder
of the University of Southern California’s Center for
Laser Studies. His teaching activities included “Frontiers
of Electronics,” a series of educational programs on
CBS television.
Marburger’s
presidency at Stony Brook coincided with the opening and growth
of University Hospital and the development of the biological
sciences as a major strength of the university. During the
1980’s federally sponsored scientific research at Stony
Brook grew to exceed that of any other public university in
the northeastern United States.
During
his presidency, Marburger served on numerous boards and committees,
including chairmanship of the governor’s commission
on the Shoreham Nuclear Power facility, and chairmanship of
the 80 campus “Universities Research Association”
which operates Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near
Chicago. He served as a trustee of Princeton University and
many other organizations. He also chaired the highly successful
1991/92 Long Island United Way campaign.
As
a public spirited scientist-administrator, Marburger has served
local, state and federal governments in a variety of capacities.
He is credited with bringing an open, reasoned approach to
contentious issues where science intersects with the needs
and concerns of society. His strong leadership of Brookhaven
National Laboratory following a series of environmental and
management crises is widely acknowledged to have won back
the confidence and support of the community while preserving
the Laboratory's record of outstanding science.
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