Free Lecture and Pi Day Celebration

The Government Affairs Committee of the California Los Padres Section of the American Chemical Society, in conjunction with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Student Chapter of the ACS, cordially invite you to an important seminar about the role of science in politics and governing.

Speaker:  Professor Rod Schoonover, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Title:
“Science in the Diplomatic and National Security Spheres”

Date:
Thursday, March 14, 2013

Time:
7-9 PM

Location:
California Polytechnic State University, University Union, Room UU-220.

Parking is $5. You can purchase a parking permit at one of the kiosks near the main parking structure. For parking and room location see map:  Pi Day Talk UU220 MAP. An interactive map is also available from the CalPoly web site.

Cost:
This seminar is free and open to the public. RSVP is requested via our contact form.

Science and technology are transforming the world at an ever faster pace. Consequently, competent, informed scientific council is vital to task of governing. This is the role to which Professor Rod Schoonover is dedicating his career. Dr. Schoonover has recently returned from a three-year appointment with the United States Department of State where he worked on global issues pertaining to science, diplomacy, and national security.  He will discuss the responsibilities he shouldered under Hillary Clinton in the State Department.  A question and answer session with the speaker will follow the lecture.

At the end of the academic year, Dr. Schoonover will be leaving the Central Coast permanently to continue his work at the interface of science and public policy. This is an extremely rare opportunity to get a firsthand account of the important role that science plays in politics and government. All who are interested in this intriguing topic are encouraged to attend.

Snacks–including pies in observance of pi (3.14) day–and refreshments will be served.

Dr. Rod Wolfcall Schoonover is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He received BS degrees in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Kansas, a BS in Graphic Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute, and a PhD in Chemical Physics from the University of Michigan. In 2009 he joined the United States Department of State as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Diplomacy Fellow, working on the intersection of national security and environmental and science and technology issues. His international experience includes programs and consultancies in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Schoonover is a three-time recipient of the Superior Honor Award, the State Department’s highest civilian award, as well as the National Intelligence Council Medal of Distinction.