Science and Politics: Problems and Solutions

Prof. Kurt Gottfried, PhD

Cornell University and Union of Concerned Scientists

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 12:15pm to 1:30pm

Coffman Memorial Union Theater

View Video

Listen to Prof. Gottfried's interview on Minnesota Public Radio

Prof. Gottfried discussed the tumultuous relationship between science and government in America, highlighting unprecedented friction that he believes stems from deep cultural and political currents. In order to re-establish a harmonious relationship, Gottfried urged that Congress, together with the Executive Branch, scientists, and society as a whole, participate in an effort to recreate the connection that existed in previous administrations. Both short and long-term policies to address this challenge were discussed.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE), Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits were approved.

Kurt Gottfried, PhD, was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929. He received his undergraduate education at McGill University, a PhD in theoretical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1955, and was then a Junior Fellow at Harvard. He has been a physics professor at Cornell University since 1964, and has served on the senior staff of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. He is a former chair of the Division of Particles and Fields of the American Physical Society, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.

In addition to his work with UCS, Gottfried was also active in campaigns in defense of Andrei Sakharov, Yuri Orlov and other Soviet dissident scientists. He has published widely on theoretical physics and national security issues, authoring Quantum Mechanics, Concepts of Particle Physics, The Fallacy of Star Wars, and Crisis Stability and Nuclear War.