Commerce Secretary Locke Announces Selection of 2009-2010 Commerce Science and Technology Fellows

WASHINGTON—Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced that 17 federal employees have been selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship (ComSci) Program. Starting in September and lasting 10 months, the ComSci program immerses the fellows in a 10-month science and technology policymaking and management course taught through interactions with a diverse set of top leaders in government, industry and academia.

"This year’s ComSci Fellows have been selected from many different government agencies for their leadership potential," Locke said. "The policy insights the fellows gain through this program will help the U.S. maintain its technical and scientific leadership and economic competitiveness."

The new Fellows will be invited to the June 25, 2009, graduation ceremony of the previous year's fellows. NIST Deputy Director Patrick Gallagher and Mary Glackin, NOAA's Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, will deliver the remarks at this event.

The 2009-2010 ComSci fellows are:
Tamara Brooks – U.S. Department of State
Robert Charles – U.S. Army
Fan-Li Chou – U.S. Department of Agriculture
Eve Douglas – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Michelle Ewy - Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Brian Hoshaw – National Institutes of Health
William Humbert – U.S. Air Force (Eglin Air Force Base, Florida)
Samantha Hunter – National Science Foundation
Russell Jones - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
David LaVan – National Institute of Standards and Technology
Ernest McDuffie - Networking and Information Technology Research and Development, US Office of Science and Technology Policy
Donna Senft - – U.S Air Force - Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico
Elaine Sierra-Rivera – National Institutes of Health
Marla Smith – Environmental Protection Agency
Dianne St. Jean – U.S. Army (Marlborough, MA)
Maqsood Wani - National Institutes of Health
Richard Wingrove - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps

During the program, the ComSci Fellows make site visits and attend regular seminars featuring noted subject-matter experts from government, academia and the private sector. Through these interactions, the Fellows study national and international issues relating to the development, application and management of science and technology policy. The program includes a one-week congressional orientation and a policy study-related field trip. ComSci Fellows also may opt for a challenging 10-month full-time developmental work assignment in the executive or legislative branch. Additional information about the ComSci program is available at www.comsci.gov.

Established in 1964 and later enacted by Congress, ComSci is a 10-month policy study and leadership program that is open to career senior federal employees from any government agency. ComSci is managed and administered by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.