When Geri Richmond received a call from the White House in May to inform her she was being considered for the National Science Board, the University of Oregon chemistry professor did not have time to revel in the news. @@http://richmondscience.uoregon.edu/@@
“I was in the middle of committee meetings in Portland where we were interviewing candidates for the UO president when the call from the White House came,” Richmond said. “So the first thing that I did was return to those interviews and try to concentrate on the interviews.”
When Richmond first received the news, she was told the matter was confidential until she passed the FBI and background checks required for the presidential appointment. However, it was officially announced by the UO on Nov. 16 that Richmond had been appointed by President Obama to the 25-member board, which governs the National Science Foundation and advises the president and Congress on science and education policy.
Richmond, who has been at the UO for 27 years, has had an accomplished career leading up to the appointment. Her resume lists nearly 40 professional awards, including an appointment to the National Academy of Sciences in 2011. She has made contributions to understanding the molecular surface of water and has published numerous high-profile research papers.
Richmond has also been extensively involved in the advancement of women and minorities in science. In 1997, she founded the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists, which has worked with nearly 7,000 women chemists in the United States and has recently expanded to work with women scientists in developing countries.
Richmond said she started the organization out of her concern with the slow progress of women in science compared to their male colleagues.
“To solve the challenges ahead in everything from climate change to assuring environmental resources for future generations, we need to do everything we can to assure that the talents of those interested in pursuing careers in science and engineering fields are not wasted,” she said. “If barriers — whether they arise from biases or policies — result in lowered participation or performance by individuals who can make important contributions to (science and technology), then we as a nation lose.”
Richmond said she looks forward to the opportunity to help set science policy as a member of the National Science Board.
“I’m just delighted and honored to have been selected for this important appointment and look forward to seeing how I can contribute in a meaningful way to assuring the health and vitality of science and engineering in this country,” she said.