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
The Chicago Council on Science and Technology's mission is to enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of science and technology and their impact on society.
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 190 programs, and partnered with over 100 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 and T) through public discussions of emerging and important S and 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
John Anderson, Board Chair
Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology
Bob Arthur
President
Magellan Corporation
Gerald Blazey
Vice President for Research & Innovation Partnerships
Northern Illinois University
Philip Cable
President
John A. Cable Foundation
Gastone G. Celesia, Ex-Officio Board Member
Professor Emeritus
Loyola University
Charles Cooper
General Manager, Illinois Accelerator Research Center
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Holly Copeland
Director, Public Affairs & Corporate Social Responsibility
Horizon Pharma
Marten L. denBoer
Provost
DePaul University
Mitra Dutta
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Illinois at Chicago
Lance Grande, Board Representative
Program Committee Chair
Distinguished Service Curator
The Field Museum of Natural History
Mary J.C. Hendrix
President
Shepherd University, WV
Eric Isaacs
Executive Vice President Research, Innovation and National Labs
University of Chicago
Charles Knapp
VP of Conservation and Research
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Bob Kriss
Partner
Mayer Brown LLP
Richard Lariviere
President
The Field Museum of Natural History
Walter Massey
Chancellor
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Dawn Miller
Director, Concern Chicago-Midwest Region
Concern Worldwide U.S.
Auxiliary Board
Adam Arcus
Director
March for Science Chicago
Andie Asimes
Ph.D. Candidate, Neuroscience
Loyola University Chicago
Julia Haried
Co-Founder & Executive Director
MakerGirl
Zuri McClelland, Vice President
Quality Technician
Abbott Laboratories
C2ST Artist In Residence
Aaron Freeman
Comedian and Artist
C2ST Staff
Krisztina Eleki, PhD.
Executive Director
keleki@c2st.org
Andrea Poet
Director of Programs and PR
apoet@c2st.org
Jessica Weisensell
Director of Operations
jweisensell@c2st.org
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
Gregory M. Mueller
Chief Scientist
Chicago Botanic Garden
Lynn Narasimhan, Board Representative
Professor and Director, STEM Center
DePaul University
Norman Peterson
Director, Government Relations
Argonne National Laboratory
Peter Schiffer
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Thomas P. Shanley
Chairman, Department of Pediatrics
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Arch Shaw
President & CEO
Arch Investors Ltd
Jim Sullivan
Vice President, Discovery
AbbVie
Kay Torshen
President
Torshen Capital Management, LLC
Sarah Tucker
President
ARCS Foundation, Inc., Illinois Chapter
Jessica Turner-Skoff
Treeologist
The Morton Arboretum
Maria Velissariou
Vice President, Global Nutrition R&D
PepsiCo, Inc.
Jay Walsh
Vice President of Research
Northwestern University
Ralph Wanger
Chairman
RW Investments
Patricia Ward, Board Representative
Director, Science Exhibitions and Partnerships
Museum of Science and Industry
TBD
Chicago Biomedical Consortium
TBD
Exelon
Iredia Olaye
Founder and CEO
OlayIT
Jared Sagoff
Communications Lead, Physical Sciences and Engineering
Argonne National Laboratory
Kathleen Slingerland
Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Mars Wrigley Confectionery
Jessica Turner-Skoff, President
Treeologist
The Morton Arboretum
C2ST Educator Fellow
William Reed
Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, Math and Science Teacher
Alexandra Prokuda, PhD.
Manager of Programs and Engagement
aprokuda@c2st.org
Cody Eskew
Programs and Special Events Coordinator
ceskew@c2st.org