About

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 on average two programs per month; partnered with over fifty-six regional organizations; increased membership exponentially. 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

John Anderson, Board Chair
President
Illinois Institute of Technology

Pat Anderson
President
ARCS Foundation

Bob Arthur
President
Magellan Corporation

Ted Beattie
President and CEO
Shedd Aquarium

Brenna Berman
Chief Information Officer, Innovation & Technology
City of Chicago

Gastone G. Celesia, Ex-Officio Board Member
Professor Emeritus
Loyola University

Mitra Dutta
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Illinois at Chicago

Robert Easter
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Lisa Freeman
Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies
Northern Illinois University

Ravi Ganti
Vice President of Industrial Relations
Exelon

Arthur J. Goldman, Membership Committee Chair, Ex-Officio Board Member
Management Consultant
Energy Science & Technology

Lance Grande, Board Representative                                                                        Program Committee Chair
Vice President for Collections and Research
The Field Museum of Natural History

Mary J.C. Hendrix
President & Scientific Director
Medical Research Institute Council Professor
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Research Center

Richard H. Kennedy
Vice President Health Sciences Research
Loyola University Medical Center
Senior Associate Dean, Research
Stritch School of Medicine

Bob Kriss
Partner
Mayer Brown LLP

Michelle Larson
President & CEO
Adler Planetarium

Alan Schriesheim, President C²ST
Director Emeritus
Argonne National Laboratory

Richard Lariviere
President
The Field Museum of Natural History

Lisa LaVallee, Board Representative
Director of Communications
Office of the Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories
University of Chicago

Don Levy
Vice President
Office of the Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories
University of Chicago

William Liss
Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
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

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 Academic Affairs
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
DePaul University

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

Warren Ribley
Executive Director
Illinois Medical District

Arch Shaw
President
Arch Investors Ltd

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