DOE science undersecretary confirmed

Raymond Orbach, director of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science, was confirmed by the Senate in May as the first-ever Undersecretary for Science at DOE. The new position, created as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, elevates Orbach to the same level as the other DOE undersecretaries and is expected to give science more visibility in the vast government agency (see Physics Today, February 2006, page 23 ).

Orbach, who will continue as head of the Office of Science, told a Senate committee following his nomination by President Bush in March, “Creation of this position highlights the important role of science and scientific research at [DOE], and indeed in the American economy as a whole.” Orbach, a theoretical physicist, told the senators that DOE will need to fund and perform “science that is world-class, science that is at the far frontier of human knowledge.”

The science community has been pushing for the establishment of the undersecretary position since 2000, and former Office of Science director Mildred Dresselhaus said the high status that comes with the title will make it easier for Orbach to get things done within DOE.