About

The Need

As the 21st century begins to unfold, it is clear that we live in a society in which science plays an increasingly significant role. Citizens and their leaders need to achieve a functional level of scientific literacy to deal with issues ranging from global climate change to stem cell research to viral pandemics. It is estimated that about one in four American adults meets a minimal standard of civic scientific literacy. This level of scientific literacy is insufficient to sustain a healthy democratic society or to assure rational consideration of major scientific issues.

Our Mission

C²ST seeks to be the preeminent regional consortium for science- and technology-related education and policy and a prominent voice nationally.

Our Vision

C²ST will be an advocate for regional science policy and among the nations leading source of information on policy issues of science and technology.

In establishing the Chicago Council on Science and Technology in 2006, the founders sought to bring together Chicago’s scientific leaders – academic, corporate, government, museums, universities and national laboratories- to provide a forum for the discussion of current issues of scientific interest.

Dr. Alan Schriesheim, President of C²ST and Director Emeritus of Argonne National Laboratory, Dr. Jon Miller, Director of the International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy at the University of Michigan and Dr. Paul Knappenberger, President of the Adler Planetarium – began discussing the need for a regional organization that could adopt a role in the science community.

Since September of 2007, C²ST has co-sponsored or produced over 100 programs, and partnered with over 80 regional and national organizations. C²ST is an anchor to catalyze a more robust marketplace for science and gain more visibility for Chicago as a center of innovation and technology.

Goals

• Be a voice and advocate for the scientific community in the metropolitan Chicago area.
• Enhance the public understanding and appreciation of science and technology (S&T) through public discussions of emerging and important S&T policy issues.
• Provide opportunities for members of the scientific community to meet each other and develop a greater sense of identity.
• Link academic, business, and public policy leaders to build consensus for science education, technology innovation, and robust knowledge-economy growth in Chicago and the Midwest.
• Maintain a working relationship with the science journalism community in the metropolitan Chicago area, providing special briefings on selected emerging issues.
• Attract new science, engineering and technology based industries to the Chicagoland area.
   

Board of Directors

Alan Schriesheim, President C²ST
Director Emeritus
Argonne National Laboratory

William Liss
Managing Director
Gas Technology Institute

Peter B. Littlewood
Director
Argonne National Laboratory

Gudelia Lopez
Senior Program Officer
Chicago Community Trust

Walter Massey
President
School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Rabiah Mayas, Board Representative
Director of Science and Integrated Strategies
Museum of Science and Industry

Dawn Miller
Executive Director, Major Gifts
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Jon D Miller, Co-Founder
Director International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan

David Mosena
President & Chief Executive Officer
Museum of Science and Industry

Greg Mueller
Vice President of Science and Academic Programs
Chicago Botanic Garden

Lynn Narasimhan, Board Representative
Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
DePaul University

Patricia D. O’Donoghue
Interim Provost, Academic Affairs
DePaul University

Darryl V. Padgett, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College of Engineering and Information Sciences
DeVry University

Norman Peterson, Board Representative
Director, Government Relations
Argonne National Laboratory

Lesley Rigg
VP for Research and Innovation Partnerships
Northern Illinois University

Arch Shaw
President & CEO
Arch Investors Ltd

Peter Schiffer
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Katie Stallcup
Executive Director
Chicago Biomedical Consortium

Kay Torshen
President
Torshen Capital Management, LLC

Jay Walsh
Vice President of Research
Northwestern University

Ralph Wanger
Chairman
LZW Group, LLC

 

Andrea Poet
Director of Programs and PR
apoet@c2st.org

ceppig@c2st.org