Dr. Lubchenco has been the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of NOAA since 2009. Nominated by President Obama in December 2008 as part of his “Science Team,” she is a marine ecologist and environmental scientist by training, with expertise in oceans, climate change, and interactions between the environment and human well-being. She received her B.A. in biology from Colorado College, her M.S. in zoology from the University of Washington, and her Ph.D. in ecology from Harvard University. Her academic career as a professor began at Harvard University (1975-1977) and continued at Oregon State University (1977-2009) until her appointment as NOAA administrator.

Dr. Lubchenco’s talk will be on: “Society’s wicked problems, ecological approaches, and scientists’ social contract”

During the past four years, considerable progress has been made in translating ecological knowledge into federal policies. The talk will highlight the ways that science has shaped policies and management concerning climate, oceans and coasts, and how that science is made available to and used by decision makers and the public. The presentation will invite discussion of the key roles of the academic community in discovering and sharing the knowledge most needed by society to tackle wicked environmental problems.