The National Science Board Task Force on Sustainable Energy to Assemble Roundtable Discussion on Feb. 8 at NSF Headquarters

February 7, 2008

The National Science Board Task Force on Sustainable Energy will assemble the first of a series of roundtable discussions on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the National Science Foundation (NSF) headquarters in Arlington, Va. Established in October of 2007, the task force is charged with examining the role of the U.S. government in addressing the science and engineering (S&E) challenges related to sustainable energy, and providing recommendations to the president and Congress regarding a nationally coordinated S&E research and education initiative on sustainable energy with specific guidance on the role of NSF.  In these roundtable discussions, the task force aims to meet with various stakeholders to obtain input from diverse perspectives.

A full agenda and participant list is accessible at http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/.

While the world's endowment of energy resources is sufficient to meet anticipated demand through the century, existing fossil energy supplies will become increasingly strained, with predicted economic and geopolitical consequences, as well as continued undesirable consequences for the environment.  New energy pathways are needed. Many options exist that can contribute to a sustainable future, including energy efficient products and manufacturing techniques, non-emitting power generation, biofuels, forest and land management and carbon dioxide capture and storage.  A challenge of this scale needs to be addressed at the global level, but here in the U.S., an appropriate strategy will also be required across federal, state and local governments, as well as across businesses, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders. S&E will be critically important for success in this area. The National Science Board (Board) is a suitable body to make recommendations regarding the structure of the S&E research and education enterprise needed to respond to these challenges. The Board expects to give specific guidance to the NSF so that it may play a leadership role by ensuring that its portfolio matches the scale of the challenge. The Board expects that the activities of the task force, beginning with a series of roundtable discussions, will elucidate key issues that can be addressed as NSF charts its role in bringing about a stable and sustainable energy future.

The roundtable program will be held at the NSF headquarters: 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. (Ballston Metro stop).

Journalists interested in attending and covering the roundtable discussion should contact Lisa-Joy Zgorski at 703-292-8311 by 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, to enable security arrangements for attendance.

-NSF-

Related Websites
Sustainable Energy Roundtable Agenda: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/committees/se/2008_02_04_agenda.pdf
Sustainable Energy Roundtable List of Participants: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/committees/se/2008_02_04_participants.pdf
National Science Board: http://www.nsf.gov

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