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View from the Inside

Meet Mildred Dresselhaus:
New Director of the Office of Science

by Sallie J. Ortiz

Mildred S. Dresselhaus was nominated by President Clinton to be the next director of DOE's Office of Science. She was confirmed by the Senate in late July and officially sworn in on Tuesday, August 1, 2000.


Professor Mildred S. DresselhausMildred Dresselhaus, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is not afraid to speak her mind about current sticky issues at DOE, even at her nomination hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She received high marks from Senate members in spite of warning the Senate Energy Committee against overreaction to spy scares, when she said, "The defense labs must have contact with the rest of the world." And she also took exception to a call by Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) for "benchmarking" basic research projects. Dresselhaus patiently explained that you can't set a schedule for basic discoveries.

Committee chairman Murkowski told Dresselhaus, "I certainly believe you are well qualified," a sentiment shared by Ranking Minority Member Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) who told her "how pleased we are that you have been nominated to this position. ...you are to be commended for taking this position."

Why would Dresselhaus, a prestigious scientist and professor at the height of her career, want to take on the challenge of a possibly short-term political appointment as Director of the Office of Science?

"Science has been so good to me, and I thought that maybe this is the time in my life when I should serve science and the country," she said about accepting the job. Dresselhaus believes that the country benefits from scientists taking some time out of their careers to serve the government, as did some of her role models, Nobel laureates Charlie Townes and Glenn Seaborg. "It is a great tradition, and I'd like to uphold it."

The honor was completely unexpected, Dresselhaus said. When asked to breakfast in Boston last November by Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, she had no idea what he wanted to talk about. "I thought it might be related to an article I'd just published in the journal Science on carbon nanotubes. But that didn't sound right."

During the breakfast, he told her of the position and that she'd been recommended by several people. "He said that he was anxious to have more people in his administration who are practicing science and are well-known in the scientific community," she said.

Mildred Dresselhouse (middle) receives 1999 Nicholson Award

Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus (middle) received the 1999 Nicholson Medal for Humanitarian Service from the American Physics Society "for being a compassionate mentor and lifelong friend to young scientists; for setting high standards as researchers, teachers and citizens; and for promoting international ties in science." Also shown are APS President James Langer and co-recipient Dr. Faye Ajzenberg-Selove.

Dresselhaus has an impressive track record as a working scientist and a professor at MIT in Electrical Engineering and Physics. She won the President's National Medal of Science in 1990 "for her studies of the electronic properties of metals and semimetals, and for her service to the Nation in establishing a prominent place for women in physics and engineering." She has also been President of both the American Physical Society (1984) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1997), as well as Treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences (1992-96).

Dresselhaus will take a leave of absence from MIT while holding the DOE position. "I have the world's best job right now and I'm not giving it up. I am a practicing scientist with a huge number of ideas and I will go back to being a scientist when the appointment is completed." She expects the appointment will last until the new president takes office.

What does she hope to accomplish in such a short time before the next election? In the May nomination hearing, Dresselhaus said, "My own goals for the Office of Science are three-fold:

First, I have high expectations for increasing the quality of the science, and the management of scientific research sponsored by the Department of Energy. We can and should do the best science internationally in our critical mission areas and I am committed to pursuing that excellence.

Second, I will make the Office of Science a place where people are excited about their jobs and give their all. My experience is that good morale is critical to the success of an organization and I will work hard to improve morale.

And third, I intend to draw upon my diverse professional experience and contacts to bring best practices to the Office of Science in everything we do. My goal is to stimulate collaborations and promote better science in every way possible."

Dresselhaus now faces not only a time crunch, but also a budget challenge at the Office of Science. Just how serious that challenge is was bluntly stated by Neal Lane, the President's Science Advisor, as Dresselhaus was sworn in as Director. Congress has cut $1.8 billion from the R&D request "precisely at the moment in history when we can best afford to invest in America's future."

One of the nation's most honored physicists, Millie Dresselhaus, took the job because she's needed.


Related Links:

"Dresselhaus Faces Budget Challenge at Science Office," What's New by Bob Park, The American Physical Society, August 11, 2000.

Mildred S. Dresselhaus Biography, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy

Department of Energy Press Release: "MIT's Dresselhaus Sworn in as Director of Energy Department's Office of Science"

Virginia Tech Virtual Museum - Women in Science: Audio and video biography of Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus

1999 Nicholson Medal for Humanitarian Service

Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame

Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics: University of California at Los Angeles: Condensed Matter Physics

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