Department Organization

Congress established OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead interagency efforts to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets, and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.

OSTP Mission

OSTP's continuing mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-282). It calls for OSTP to:

Serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government.

The Act authorizes OSTP to:

• Advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs;
• Lead an interagency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets;
• Work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security;
• Build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community;
• Evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology.
  

Dr. John H. Marburger serves as Science Advisor to President Bush and was confirmed by the Senate in October 2001 as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Marburger also co-chairs the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and supports the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).

Ambassador Richard M. Russell was confirmed by the Senate in August 2002 as Associate Director and Deputy Director for Technology, and is charged with the technology portfolio, which includes departments in Technology, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Space and Aeronautics. Ambassador Russell also led the U.S. Delegation to the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC).  The WRC is convened every four years under the auspices of the United Nation's International Telecommunication Union to review and revise the international rules governing the use of radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.

Dr. Sharon L. Hays was confirmed by the Senate in September 2006 as Associate Director and Deputy Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Dr. Hays has been at OSTP since mid-2002, serving first in OSTP's Technology Division, and later as the Chief of Staff.