Physicist Rush Holt to lead AAAS
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028534
Chemistry World : A year ago, Rush Holt announced that he would be retiring from his position as congressman for New Jersey. Now he has been selected to be the next CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Before serving in Congress, Holt earned a PhD in plasma physics and was the assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. At AAAS, he will be working to help increase government funding in science research. He says he also wants to encourage other scientists to hold public office. According to Holt, an understanding of science and how research works is important for politicians who are deciding how to allocate government funds. While serving in Congress, he pushed for the largest increase in science funding ever as part of the 2009 stimulus package.